Boston City Councilor admits she hired family members, violated conflict of interest law

BOSTON — Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson has agreed to pay a $5,000 civil penalty after admitting to violating the conflict of interest law by hiring her sister and son to paid positions on her Boston City Council staff, state officials said.

Fernandes Anderson signed a disposition agreement on Wednesday in which she admits the violations and she agrees to pay the penalty, according to the State Ethics Commission.

Soon after her November 2021 election to the Boston City Council, Fernandes Anderson, who represents Roxbury, Dorchester, and part of the South End, appointed her sister as her full-time Director of Constituent Services, according to the disposition agreement.

Furthermore, the agreement also states Fernandes Anderson completed the State Ethics Commission’s online conflict of interest training on Dec. 30, 2021. Days later, after being sworn in on Jan. 3, 2022, she voted with the City Council to approve her sister’s appointment as her Director of Constituent Services.

Fernandes Anderson initially set her sister’s annual salary at $65,000. In June 2022, she increased it to $70,000 and awarded her sister a $7,000 bonus, according to the disposition agreement.

Also, in June 2022, Fernandes Anderson appointed her son as her full-time office manager at an annual salary of $52,000. 11 days later, her son’s salary increased to $70,000.

Fernandes Anderson ended the employment of her sister and son on Aug. 31, 2022.

“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,” the State Ethics Commission said in a statement on Tuesday.

“The Commission encourages public employees to contact the Commission’s Legal Division at 617-371-9500 for free advice if they have any questions regarding how the conflict of interest law may apply to them,” the statement said.

Fernandes Anderson not only broke the law by participating in the hiring of her relatives — and giving them raises and that bonus — but she also did not recuse herself from Council votes to approve those appointments.

That begs the question of whether Fernandes Anderson disclosed to her colleagues that the hires they were about to approve were, in fact, her relatives.

In a statement, Council President Ed Flynn had this to say:

Residents of Boston deserve strong and ethical leadership. It gives me no pleasure to once again address the concerns of neighbors who are rightfully concerned about troubling legal and ethical lapses involving another member of the City Council.

As part of the City of Boston Office of Human Resources Annual Compliance, all City employees and new hires have to complete a process that includes training from the State Ethics Commission on the Conflict of Interest Law.

In recent weeks, City Council Central Staff and I have worked to schedule an in-person Conflict of Interest Law Training with the State Ethics Commission on Tuesday, August 8th, followed by a working session on Thursday, August 10th regarding an Anti Bullying Policy I filed. Moreover, Central Staff and I have been researching resources provided by the National League of Cities and elsewhere on a Code of Ethics for implementation at the Boston City Council, as well as Civility Training to work to restore a sense of decorum and respect for colleagues in municipal government. I strongly encourage my colleagues to attend these trainings, as I do for our City Council Hearings.

The residents of Boston deserve serious leaders who provide ethical leadership and work hard to maintain the public’s trust, especially during these challenging times.

Boston 25 News made multiple attempts to contact Fernandes Anderson but we did not hear back from her by deadline.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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