Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson fined for hiring family members in ethics breach
BOSTON - Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson will pay a $5,000 fine after admitting to hiring her sister and son to full-time staff positions on the council.
The state ethics commission says those hires violate conflict of interest laws.
Fernandes Anderson named her sister as her director of constituent services shortly after winning election to the council in November of 2021. Her salary was set at $65,000; it was raised to $70,000 and she was awarded a $7,000 bonus in June 2022.
That same month, Fernandes Anderson appointed her son as an office manager with a $52,000 salary. Weeks later on July 15, she boosted her son's salary to $70,000.
Fernandes Anderson stopped employing both her sister and son on August 31, 2022, the commission said.
"Fernandes Anderson's actions as a Boston City Councilor concerning the appointment and compensation of her sister and son violated the conflict of interest law's prohibition against municipal employees participating in their official capacity in matters in which they know members of their immediate family have a financial interest," State Ethics Commission executive director David Wilson said in a statement.
The city councilor for District 7 responded on Twitter to the news.
"I messed up and should have paid attention to those training videos. I was a rookie nonetheless, it was negligent. I corrected it as soon as I knew better," Fernandes Anderson tweeted. "But I hurt my sister by not doing my research. I had to fire her while her husband waited for a heart transplant."
Last week, fellow Boston City Councilor Kendra Lara appeared in court after being accused of driving without a license and speeding when she crashed into a Jamaica Plain home, injuring her young son. Not guilty pleas to all charges were entered on her behalf.
