Text Message Evidence Obtained by BAN Suggests Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson Doesn't Limit Threats Directed at Colleagues to Public Speeches
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Note: This coverage was updated on April 10, 2024. It is included at the end of this article.
The latest blunder involving Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson comes just weeks after the District 7 representative received national attention for failing to participate in the Council’s oath of office ceremony. Just recently, Anderson again found herself in the spotlight for criticizing her fellow City Councilors for their “accountability.” Ironically, a subsequent investigation revealed Anderson has the worst attendance record of any Councilor.
But as previous coverage has demonstrated, Anderson is no stranger to fruitlessly deflecting blame at others to distract from her own missteps. During last year’s participatory budgeting fiasco, Anderson chaired the Committee on Ways & Means. As Chair, Anderson was responsible for overseeing the budget proposals submitted to Mayor Michelle Wu.Â
The budget Anderson submitted contained substantial cuts to both veterans’ services and public safety and was ultimately vetoed by Mayor Wu. Nevertheless, public outrage ensued over the Council’s proposals which prompted Anderson to deliver an impassioned speech on the floor of the Ianella Chamber that tried to shift the blame onto another, unnamed member of the Council.
At the time, Anderson received little pushback from her fellow Councilors despite this attempt to scapegoat them. Perhaps the hesitancy to publicly challenge Anderson’s recollection of events was due to statements Anderson made just months earlier. During an August meeting, Anderson told all members of the Council and the public in attendance:
"Don't come for me, because if you want smoke you'll get smoke. I'm not afraid of any of you."
These words came during a high-intensity meeting where Council members battled over Boston’s redistricting map following the removal of Councilor Ricardo Arroyo from his chairmanship. Arroyo was stripped of his chair by then Council President Ed Flynn due to evidence surfacing that Arroyo had previously been the subject of multiple sexual assault allegations.
In the months following this meeting, a federal judge ruled that the Council’s redistricting map likely violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. This failed map, which cost the taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars was sponsored by then-Councilor Arroyo and current Councilor Liz Breadon, and was supported by Councilors Ruthzee Louijeune, Tania Anderson, Julia Mejia, Gabriela Coletta, as well as former Councilors Kendra Lara and Priscilla “Kenzie
” Bok.
Then, once again during a Council meeting in March 2024, Anderson threatened her colleagues with giving them "smoke."
This time, Anderson’s remarks came in response to former Council President Ed Flynn vocalizing his belief that committee assignments were unfair to the Council’s current President, Ruthzee Louijeune. Anderson interjected in defense of Louijeune, herself no stranger to controversy, by stating the following:
"Stop being petty. I'm a call all y'all out. I told you before if you want smoke, I'll give you smoke."
Anderson’s comments prompted some discussion over precisely what she meant by “smoke.” Social media was ablaze with different interpretations of Anderson’s statement and a lengthy debate even made its way to the popular website Reddit. On X, formerly known as Twitter, the Massachusetts GOP weighed in on the issue, stating:
As it turns out, Anderson's threats of "bringing the smoke" aren't limited to public forums, but even appear in text messages to her colleagues.
According to records obtained exclusively by BAN, Anderson sent a lengthy text message to all members of the City Council on January 16, 2024, that could be reasonably interpreted as hostile.
In her novela, Anderson alleges that she has been targeted by a “bomb threat to her life” which she blames on “one or two of [her] colleagues” who took “information to their cronies and then to media.” Anderson then goes on to claim that there have been “two actual attempts to hurt,” her and that she has “at least 3 investigations open.”
Anderson then invokes a common refrain, telling her co-councilors that she is “not afraid of any of [them]” before saying “whatever the fuck is the problem work it out and…toughen the fuck up please.” Anderson also goes on to state:
"I don't want to always feel I need to give anyone smoke because when it comes to family, I know we are all capable of becoming warriors."
According to records obtained by BAN, the only police reports referencing Councilor Anderson's address are for an alleged email that was received in June 2023.
In other words, BANÂ is unable to confirm the claims that Anderson has been subjected to violence or that there are three open investigations as she alleges, although Boston Police records do indicate someone from Anderson’s address filed reports for at least one email message they received. During Anderson’s August 31, 2022, speech she also plays a hateful voicemail she says her office received.
According to sources, Anderson was involved in a motor vehicle collision that left her truck damaged, but it was deemed accidental at the time. This accident is reported to have involved an elderly gentleman and showed no indication that it was an intentional attempt to harm the Councilor.
*This is a developing story and updates will be provided as they become available.
Those interested in watching Councilor Anderson’s full speech during the 2022 “bring the smoke” meeting, and listening to the voicemail that Anderson references, can do so below. The full meeting is available by clicking here.
*Update on April 10, 2024 at 11:30 am*
New text message evidence obtained by BAN indicates that several members of the Boston City Council requested to be removed from their group chat after Anderson’s outburst.
Whether Council President Louijeune honored these requests or simply ignored them is unknown at this time.
The following text message does suggest, however, that the Council President simply overlooked Anderson’s outburst:
This is an interesting development, as the Council’s own rules – as proposed by Louijeune herself – appear to address this type of behavior:
Therefore, our questions for Council President Louijeune are as follows:
- Will you require Councilor Anderson to issue a public apology on the Council floor?
- Did you honor the wishes of the Councilors who asked to be removed from the group chat? Why or why not?
- What overall steps have you taken as Council President to address this toxic work environment?
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