Special election to replace Fernandes Anderson unlikely after City Council vote

Local News

Councilors voted to forgo a special election, even though Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson indicated she would wait until after May 8 to resign.

Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson said Friday that a special election to fill her seat would not be necessary, implying that she would wait until at least May 8 to resign. The body eventually voted to forgo a special election, even if she resigns before then. 

Fernandes Anderson also sharply criticized multiple colleagues, accusing them of “grandstanding” in a public debate over the benefits of holding a special election. 

Earlier this month, Fernandes Anderson agreed to plead guilty to federal public corruption charges and announced her intention to resign. But the embattled councilor did not specify when exactly she would officially resign, saying that she would need to consult with constituents and put together a transition plan. 

The timing of her resignation would dictate whether or not a special election is held. In Boston, if an elected official is removed from office more than 180 days before the next regular municipal election, then the process for holding a special election is triggered. The next municipal election is scheduled for Nov. 4, meaning that a special election would take place if Fernandes Anderson resigns before May 8. 

Fernandes Anderson represents District 7, which includes Roxbury, Dorchester, Fenway, and part of the South End. 

On one side, some councilors and residents argued that a special election would be preferable so that the district’s council seat would be filled as soon as possible. Councilor Erin Murphy was especially vocal on the issue. 

“Delaying this process undermines our democratic principles and the trust of our constituents,” she wrote in a post on her website. 

They also pointed to what played out in 2023, when then-Councilor Kenzie Bok resigned to take a position as head of the city’s housing authority. In that case, a special election was held on a similar timeline, even though it was a municipal election year. Bok represented much of Back Bay and Beacon Hill. She was replaced by Councilor Sharon Durkan. 

Councilor Ed Flynn took issue with the city treating the two districts differently, especially ones with stark demographic differences.

“I still have a difficult time saying that we’re able to have a special election in a wealthy, white district but we’re not going to have one in a district made up of many people of color. That’s the dilemma I have, that’s the glaring hypocrisy that I see,” he said. 

But on the other side, many asserted that the cost and complexity of a special election should be avoided so close to the regular municipal election. Special elections generally have a very low turnout, and some wondered if a special election would disproportionately empower “a small group of highly engaged activists.”

Complicating matters further is the fact that Secretary of State William Galvin is overseeing an “overhaul” of the city’s election department. Major communications issues caused multiple precincts to run low or out of ballots completely during last November’s election, forcing police to rush around the city delivering more ballots as long lines of voters grew. Galvin is appointing an official to make sure the problems do not happen again. 

Galvin recently told The Boston Globe that a special election would be “a complete waste of resources” and “jeopardize the actual work of fixing the elections office.”

Council President Ruthzee Louijeune and Councilor Liz Breadon agreed, and they filed a home rule petition to bypass a special election even if Fernandes Anderson resigns before May 8. That measure was the subject of a City Council meeting Friday morning, where it was approved by a 9-3 vote. Fernandes Anderson participated in the meeting but did not vote on it. The petition still needs to be approved by Mayor Michelle Wu and lawmakers on Beacon Hill to go into effect. 

Just before the vote, Fernandes Anderson tore into both Murphy and Louijeune. Although she had not indicated publicly when she would resign, she apparently told Louijeune in private that a special election would not be needed. 

So Fernandes Anderson viewed Friday’s meeting and the fact that a vote was taking place at all as bewildering and unnecessary, she said. 

“My job, until I’m out, is to represent the voice of the district. I’ve communicated that to you guys and then you still felt like you had to perform,” she said. 

Louijeune said that the home rule petition was meant to ensure that councilors “would not be caught flat-footed in the event of a vacancy.”

Fernandes Anderson accused Murphy of turning the entire debate into a performance that does not take into account the opinions of actual residents there, who oppose a special election. 

“You do not represent Roxbury, you have been too aggressive on this issue and … you actually don’t understand the district. So you are speaking from a position of assumption, or presumptions, and it’s frankly insulting,” Fernandes Anderson said to Murphy.