Disgraced Boston city councilor’s guilty plea leaves colleagues scrambling to restore trust

Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson s guilty plea to federal corruption charges is strike against a Council that has been tarred by ethical and legal lapses of late and left her colleagues scrambling to restore the populace s trust Council President Ruthzee Louijeune stated Monday that she was committed to working to strengthen faith in local city governing body while another councilor Ed Flynn disclosed the corruption probe that has hung over the body for months is further evidence that it requirements ethics oversight change Elected agents are accountable to their constituency and are expected to hold general trust in the highest regard Louijeune stated in a declaration The residents of District deserve principled and trustworthy representation and I am deeply disappointed that this standard was not met As president of the Boston City Council and as at-large city councilor I remain committed to working with our residents to strengthen faith in our local regime and ensure that District is represented with competence and care both during this period and upon Councilor Fernandes Anderson s resignation With the fall elections approaching for City Council Louijeune issued a warning to anyone seeking a seat on the body It is my sincere hope that anyone seeking to serve on the Boston City Council recognizes the weight of that responsibility and approaches the role with honor and integrity Louijeune explained Fernandes Anderson pleaded guilty Monday to two federal corruption charges that were tied to a kickback scheme she carried out in City Hall two years ago She was federally indicted and arrested last December on six charges four of which were dismissed as part of a plea deal she reached with the feds last month The U S Attorney s office recommended that she be sentenced to a year and a day in prison and be ordered to pay in restitution but a federal judge can opt to impose a harsher sentence on July when Fernandes Anderson s scheduling will take place Fernandes Anderson previously paid a fine for a state ethics violation for hiring two immediate family members to her Council staff giving them raises and in the incident of her sister a bonus She was also hit in past months with campaign finance violations Her brush with the law follows ethical and legal lapses made by other councilors in current years Ricardo Arroyo and Kendra Lara became the first incumbents to lose a primary in roughly four decades after their own lapses in September It s that up-to-date checkered history that has Councilor Flynn calling for ethics overhaul After seeing his past internal ethics committee push killed by the Council in January he s shifting gears to proposing a majority-external oversight committee that would ensure the Boston City Council is compliant on all rules and ethics matters per a hearing order he introduced last month The Boston City Council cannot move forward without implementing ethics revision Flynn announced in a message after his colleague s guilty plea Now is the time for positive leadership accountability transparency and ethics amendment The status quo is no longer an option Councilor-at-Large Erin Murphy who joined Louijeune Flynn and two other councilors in swiftly calling for Fernandes Anderson s resignation after her indictment and arrest last December stated her colleague s guilty plea should be acknowledged as a turning point for the Council and district The legal proceedings have underscored serious breaches of masses trust and with her resignation we can now begin the essential process of healing and restoring confidence in our local establishment Murphy reported in a comment District deserves steadfast and ethical representation leadership that prioritizes the demands and voices of its residents without distraction This chapter has been a painful one but it also presents an opportunity to recommit ourselves to the principles of transparency accountability and provision Murphy added The work of rebuilding trust begins now Mayor Michelle Wu who also called for Fernandes Anderson s resignation upon her arrest and indictment announced her administration was working to ensure that the residents of District have aid and have direct connection to whatever they may need Related Articles Empty Boston office buildings could shift billion in taxes to homeowners WSJ summary Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson pleads guilty to federal corruption charges The Boston voting cycle is drawing far more candidates than two years ago Why Pols Politics Rachael Rollins memo says no worries Boston Mayor Wu s office trip to DC hearing cost taxpayers k records show It s just a really unfortunate situation and I think we re all saddened to see things unfold but I ve made my views clear on this and we re going to continue to work to endorsement the region Wu communicated reporters Monday at an unrelated event Fernandes Anderson declared last month after her plea deal and guilty plea was filed in federal court and thus made inhabitants that she intended to resign She advised reporters outside the federal courthouse that she was eying late June after the city budget is approved by the Council for her departure When requested what she would tell her constituents after she pleaded guilty to stealing thousands of dollars from taxpayers she disclosed To my constituents I love you I love you dearly and you know that I do I ll do my best to remain focused Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn Herald file photo Council President Ruthzee Louijeune Staff Photo By Stuart Cahill Boston Herald File