District 7 candidates debate land use, White Stadium at Boston forum
Nine candidates seeking to replace Boston District 7 City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson discussed a number of community issues during a virtual forum Thursday night.
But the one issue that remained unsaid during the nearly three-hour forum was the reason Fernandes Anderson's seat is open — her conviction on federal corruption charges.
The event, held on Zoom, was organized by the District 7 Advisory Council, a group formed by Fernandes Anderson to lead community efforts and create policies that benefit the area.
Despite the elephant in the room, the candidates who participated in Thursday's forum largely praised Fernandes Anderson's work on the City Council, particularly her engagement with District 7 residents and her work increasing citizen participation in the city budget process.
'One thing that I appreciate, and many of the residents appreciate, from Councilor Fernandes is the approach she brought to educating everyone on the budget, but also the funding sources, like where the money comes from, for different projects,' Samuel Hurtado said. 'The residents felt that they were now ... more knowledgeable and more empowered to fight for our priorities.'
Said Abdikarim, Mavrick Afonso, Said Ahmed, Miniard Culpepper, Hurtado, Jerome King, Roy Owens Sr., Wawa Bell and Tchad Cort participated in Thursday's forum.
Five other candidates—Natalie Juba-Sutherland, Joao Gomes DePina, James Grant, Shawn Dwayne Nelson and Robert Stanley — are also running for the seat and returned nomination papers to be placed on the ballot. It is the largest field of candidates for any Boston city office in the 2025 election.
One of the predominant issues in the discussion was the use of city-owned land for future development, particularly for housing. Multiple candidates said that much of the city-owned land in District 7 was taken by eminent domain during the 1960s Urban Renewal movement, which primarily affected families of color.
Culpepper and Bell specifically called out Fernandes Anderson's 2022 proposal for a moratorium on the development of this land for housing, saying they would continue to support such an effort to get more community input about the future of the land.
'If you're not taking into account that the land that was stolen from families ... you're doing a disservice to the community,' Bell said.
Another major topic of discussion was the redevelopment of White Stadium in Franklin Park. The project has been criticized by a vocal group of residents for its high cost and the fact that the city is partnering with a new professional women's soccer team that will share the Boston Public Schools facility.
While some candidates were more strongly opposed to the project itself, all of them agreed that the city should have had more conversations with the community to ensure that the redevelopment was beneficial for all.
Ahmed, who ran track for BPS and later became a coach, said the stadium was very special to him, but he believes the aging structure did need to be rebuilt.
'However, there were a lot of missed opportunities,' he said. 'Some community members feel that they didn't get a voice. ... I want to make sure we utilize that facility and make sure it stays in the hands of Boston Public Schools.'
Fernandes Anderson attended the Zoom call Thursday evening and spoke at the end of the forum to thank the candidates for participating and the organizers for hosting it.
She also participated in the discussion, repeating the questions asked or adding her own comments. At times, she disagreed with the candidates, particularly about the work the District 7 Advisory Council had done. On one occasion, when Afonso said he would add new subcommittees to the council, she wrote, 'That exists.'
After Tchad Cort suggested adding a student representative to the council, Fernandes Anderson noted that one of those subcommittees was a 'youth group' and said she was 'looking forward to helping with passing on the baton."
'Great minds think alike,' she said on camera at the end of the event.
Fernandes Anderson was arrested in December on charges that she ran a kickback scheme with a family member whom she employed in her City Hall office. She admitted to using public funds to help with her own financial struggles. She pleaded guilty earlier this month.
Though Fernandes Anderson has indicated she would resign, she has not yet stepped down.
After her sentencing, scheduled for July 29, Fernandes Anderson's seat is expected to remain vacant until a new councilor is elected in November.
District 7 voters will narrow down the field of candidates in the Sept. 9 preliminary election before selecting the next councilor on Nov. 4.
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