Tania Fernandes Anderson (born January 4, 1979)[1] is a Cape Verdean-born American politician and non-profit executive who is a member of the Boston City Council for the 7th district.
[2] In December 2024, she was indicted and charged with five federal criminal offenses related to a kickback scheme involving theft of taxpayer money.
Her tenure has been described as one in which she was "a powerful representative of the city’s routinely marginalized voices" but also that "she has accomplished little besides picking a lot of pointless fights.
[13] Councilors Frank Baker and Sharon Durkan opposed holding an immediate vote on Fernandes Anderson's ordinance, and it was referred to the committee of the whole.
Numerous councilors reported having felt "blindsided" by the citation and presentation, including Council President Ed Flynn.
[16] In October 2022, Fernandes Anderson offered a resolution calling for “Boston's Hijab Day”, in recognition of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who died while in the custody of Iranian authorities.
Fernandes Anderson's proposal received international media attention, with heavy criticism finding her choice to use the name "Hijab Day" to commemorate Amini.
[18] The council declined to use this name, and instead agreed to a different resolution text that instead commemorates September 23 (Amini's birthday) as the “Day of Woman, Life and Freedom".
She also criticized the media for reporting the incident, calling it “propaganda.”[22][23] In February 2024, Fernandes Anderson introduced a request to hold a hearing to explore the possibility of Boston adopting congestion pricing for access to the city by motor vehicles.
Fernandes Anderson touted congestion pricing as a possible solution to alleviate traffic woes on the city's roadways.
[24] In November 2024, Fernandes Anderson signed-on as a sponsor of a resolution proposed by councilors Ed Flynn and Erin Murphy that would have recommended that the city's election department be placed under state receivership.
[25] In July 2023, Fernandes Anderson admitted guilt and agreed to pay a $5,000 civil penalty after violating conflict of interest laws by hiring her sister and son to paid positions on her Boston City Council staff, according to the Massachusetts State Ethics Commission.
After her 2021 election to the Boston City Council, Fernandes Anderson appointed her sister as her full-time Director of Constituent Services.
[26][27] In a statement released to the public, State Ethics Commission executive director David Wilson 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."
[30] At the time, Anderson was facing financial difficulties, was late on her rent, was missing car payments, was overdrafting her bank account, and had a $5,000 penalty from the state Ethics Commission for hiring other relatives to her staff.