Emerald Anderson-Ford, who recently launched her campaign for at-large alderman in Manchester, N.H., has been charged with keying a woman’s car at an April 20 event at the Puritan Conference Center, according to police.
Anderson-Ford, 38, who turned herself in Wednesday to police, said the allegation stemmed from an accident. The accusation against her appears to be politically motivated, she said.
“It’s unfortunate that a minor accident, which could have easily been resolved with a phone call and exchange of insurance information, has become this waste of public resources, especially considering that our city already has enough serious concerns that require the commitment and attention of our public safety and law enforcement,” she told the Globe. “This just feels like a gross misuse of public dollars.”
She declined to elaborate on the nature of the accident.
Manchester police announced Wednesday that Anderson-Ford had been booked and released on charges related the alleged vandalism. The damage done to the victim’s car, which appeared to include key marks on the driver’s side door and rear quarter panel, cost about $2,500 to repair, police said.
The announcement said police obtained surveillance video and identified Anderson-Ford, then they established probable cause to charge her with felony criminal mischief and they issued a warrant.
Anderson-Ford serves as chief diversity officer for YWCA New Hampshire. She also founded a group called Communities Reaching for Equity and Diversity (CRED). She appeared at a recent campaign event with other municipal candidates, where she called for fresh progressive leadership on the city’s board of mayor and alderman, as the Manchester Ink Link reported.
There is a lot of political energy surrounding this fall’s municipal election in Manchester. The incumbent mayor, Joyce Craig, isn’t running for re-election. The four candidates competing to replace her include three current members of the 14-member aldermanic board.
Anderson-Ford said she, as “an outspoken Black woman in this community who works in equity and inclusion,” feels targeted.
“As somebody who is oftentimes publicly critiquing policies, laws, legislation, this feels like that this is politically motivated and an attempt to discredit me,” she said, “because there doesn’t seem to be any other rational explanation for why someone would go to these extreme and punitive measures regarding a minor accident.”
Anderson-Ford declined to name her accuser.
Manchester police declined to name the victim, and court records with additional details about the case were not immediately available.
Anderson-Ford was released on $2,500 personal recognizance bail. She’s schedule to appear in court on July 21, police said.
Steven Porter can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @reporterporter.