Ex-Boston Metropolis Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson is getting all her geese in a row forward of her sentencing on federal corruption prices subsequent week, together with by endorsing a candidate within the crowded race for her former District 7 Council seat.
Fernandes Anderson, convicted in Might on two public corruption prices tied to a $7,000 Metropolis Corridor kickback scheme, mentioned final week that she is endorsing Stated Abdikarim for Boston Metropolis Council District 7.
“Said embodies the work ethic, compassion, and courage our community needs,” Fernandes Anderson mentioned in an announcement final Wednesday. “He demonstrates unwavering integrity and prioritizes the wants of District 7 residents.
“At this crucial time, we need a leader who is deeply connected to the community and unafraid to hold the government accountable,” Fernandes Anderson mentioned. “Said listens with humility and acts with boldness. If you want a dedicated public servant who will lead with courage and compassion, I urge you to vote for Said Abdikarim. Together, we can ensure that District 7’s voice remains powerful and respected.”
It’s unclear whether or not Fernandes Anderson’s endorsement, which got here a couple of week earlier than her sentencing is ready to happen in federal court docket Friday, will assist or harm Abdikarim within the District 7 Metropolis Council race.
Eleven candidates are working for District 7, which incorporates Roxbury, Dorchester, Fenway, and a part of the South Finish. The Sept. 9 preliminary election will whittle the sphere down to 2 candidates. Fernandes Anderson resigned on July 4, and the seat is at the moment vacant on the Council.
Fernandes Anderson, 46, pleaded responsible on Might 5 to 2 public corruption felony prices that had been lodged towards her in a federal indictment final December, when she was additionally arrested by the feds exterior her Dorchester dwelling.
4 different prices had been dropped as a part of a plea deal she entered into with federal prosecutors in early April.
Fernandes Anderson doled out a $13,000 bonus to one in all her Council staffers, a relative however not a right away member of the family, on the situation that $7,000 be kicked again to her. The handoff was coordinated by textual content and happened in a Metropolis Corridor lavatory in June 2023, the federal indictment states.
U.S. Legal professional Leah Foley has really helpful that the ex-councilor be sentenced to a yr and a day in jail and ordered to pay $13,000 in restitution.
The 2 prices Fernandes Anderson was convicted on, wire fraud and theft regarding packages receiving federal funds, can carry respective sentences of as much as 20 and 10 years in jail. Each carry fines as much as $250,000. – Gayla Cawley
One other Republican emerges with eyes on 2026 U.S. Senate marketing campaign…
A Republican who chairs the Westport Faculty Committee and unsuccessfully ran for a state legislative seat in 2024 is contemplating working towards U.S. Sen. Ed Markey subsequent yr.
Christopher Thrasher, a 40-year-old South Coast lawyer and self-described public coverage advocate, shaped an exploratory committee this previous week, a transfer he mentioned will enable for a “testing the waters period” to interact voters and consider the feasibility of a marketing campaign.
Thrasher took purpose at Markey’s age and the Massachusetts Democratic Occasion for “refusing to pass the torch to a new generation.”
“No matter your personal political persuasion, the one thing most every American can agree on is that the status quo cannot hold. That is why I have decided to begin the process of exploring a run for U.S. Senate in 2026,” he mentioned in an announcement this previous week.
Thrasher is simply the most recent in a collection of Republicans who’ve began to debate working towards Markey, a 79-year-old who was first elected to public workplace within the early Nineteen Seventies and has served within the U.S. Senate since 2013.
Nathan Bech, a former city councilor from West Springfield, beforehand instructed the Herald he’s additionally contemplating a run towards Markey. John Deaton, who unsuccessfully ran towards U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren final yr, has additionally floated himself as a candidate.
Thrasher mentioned elected officers have to “find new ways of addressing systematic failures in our government, and to embrace a new era of leadership that can restore hope and offer a renewed faith in the American dream.”
“I look forward to hearing from Massachusetts voters in the coming weeks and to taking these first steps toward making the dream a reality for every generation,” he mentioned.
Thrasher is not any stranger to working for elected workplace.
He ran a write-in marketing campaign final yr to safe the Republican nomination for the eighth Bristol Home seat, a district that covers Westport and components of Acushnet, Fall River, and New Bedford.
Thrasher misplaced by 261 votes within the basic election to Rep. Steven Ouellette, a Democrat from Westport, in response to state election knowledge. A recount in late November confirmed the loss. – Chris Van Buskirk
