Boston's Political Shake-Up: A Councilor's Release and a Mayor's Restructuring

Tania Fernandes Anderson, a former Boston city councilor, recently walked free after a brief stint in federal prison. She was locked up on corruption charges but only served one month behind bars. This early release came as a surprise, as she was initially supposed to be there until Saturday. No one knows why she got out early, but she did her time at a low-security prison in Danbury. Anderson's troubles started last December when she was arrested at her home on six corruption charges. She ended up pleading guilty to two of them: wire fraud and theft from a federal program. The charges were linked to a shady scheme at City Hall where she gave a bonus to a staff member, who then kicked back some of the cash to her. The handoff happened in a City Hall bathroom, of all places. The feds wanted her to serve a year in prison, but the judge had other plans and only sentenced her to one month. She also had to pay back the $13, 000 she stole. Anderson stepped down from her council seat in July, two months after her conviction. A local pastor, Miniard Culpepper, won her old seat but hasn't taken office yet. Meanwhile, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is shaking things up in her office. Her communications chief, Jessicah Pierre, is stepping down after four years. Pierre will help organize the inauguration events for Wu's second term but won't stay on as communications director. Wu hasn't said who will replace her yet. This isn't the only change in Wu's team. Her chief of streets, Jascha Franklin-Hodge, is also leaving. Wu has already picked her new chief of staff, Clare Kelly, who will start next week. Wu won her second term without any competition after crushing her opponent in the preliminary election.