Awkward moment controversial Boston city councilor demands city council attendance accountability... despite being the WORST offender: Was forced to retake oath after refusing to swear allegiance to the US

A Boston city councilor has been branded a hypocrite after ranting about poor attendance at meetings, despite missing more meetings than any of her counterparts. 

Tania Fernandes Anderson, a West African immigrant who previously sparked backlash by refusing to swear an oath of office at her swearing in, took aim at other city councilors in a hearing order this week. 

'It is imperative to establish clear metrics to assess the performance of Boston city councilors in fulfilling their duties to their constituents,' she said, as she called for attendance monitoring among those in the chamber. 

However, Fernandes Anderson has been the worst offender for missing meetings since her controversial swearing in, according to meeting minutes seen by the Boston Herald. 

Tania Fernandes Anderson, a West African immigrant who previously sparked backlash by refusing to swear an oath of office at her swearing in, took aim at attendance of other Boston City Council members despite owning the poorest attendance level of anyone in the chamber 

Since her swearing in a year ago, Fernandes Anderson has taken charge of a budget process last fiscal year that sought to sever the Boston Police Department's budget by millions of dollars. 

She has been cited for seven absences since her swearing in, with three of them in 2023 reportedly falling on key days when the council voted on public safety bills. 

In her appeal for attendance monitoring among her city council colleagues, Fernandes Anderson argued that attendance was 'imperative' to gauging their performances in office. 

'The roles and responsibilities of Boston city councilors are fundamental to the effective governance of our city, impacting the lives of residents and shaping the future of our communities,' she wrote. 

'It is imperative to establish clear metrics to assess the performance of Boston city councilors in fulfilling their duties to their constituents,' she continued, citing 'responsiveness to constituent inquiries, attendance at meetings and hearings, and effectiveness in advancing key policy objectives.' 

In 2023, the Boston Herald said she missed three key votes relating to public safety, including a September 13 meeting that resulted in the rejection of three $850,000 grants for the Boston Regional Intelligence Center. 

She also missed an October 4 meeting that saw $3.4 million in grants approved for the police department's intelligence division. 

Fernandes Anderson again missed a police vote on December 13, as the council voted unanimously 12-0 to approve a five-year contract for the city's largest police union. 

That same meeting also reportedly saw a 6-6 vote to block a $13 million counterterrorism grant to fund the metro Boston region. 

The Boston City Council has had several other brushes with controversy, not least in December as Mayor Michelle Wu sparked backlash by hosting an 'electeds of color' Christmas Party. 

Tania Fernandes Anderson (pictured in the background in the middle) appeared not to repeat the oath in a video that has since gone viral on social media after the ceremony in City Hall

Michelle Wu, the mayor of Boston, is seen arriving at an 'electeds of color' Christmas Party she hosted in December, a move that sparked backlash 

Her party drew condemnation from some as white city council members were uninvited from the bash. 

The city council also raised eyebrows in January as its members voted to boost their annual salaries from $103,500 to $115,000. 

Fernandes Anderson sparked outrage as she was ordered to re-take the oath of office after footage showed her refusing to say the words or raise her right hand during a swearing in ceremony.   

She appeared not to repeat the oath in a video that has since gone viral on social media after the ceremony in City Hall. 

Instead, she was seen standing silently with her hands clasped in front of her in between two fellow councilors who can be seen raising their right hand and repeating the oath of office. 

In a statement amid the controversy, Anderson Fernandes claimed to have been internalizing the oath and didn't feel the need to say it out loud.