Special to Independent Newsmedia
Former Phoenix Mayor Thelda Williams, the only person to ever serve as the city’s top official on three separate occasions who served on the City Council for more than 20 years, died Tuesday night after a brief battle with cancer. She was 82.
“Thelda Williams’s service to our city has touched and improved the lives of everyone who lives here — from improving Sky Harbor International Airport to strengthening our transit system to making sure that we use our water wisely,” Mayor Kate Gallego shared in a press release. “She cared deeply about Phoenix’s people and its future, and her legacy will endure far beyond our lifetimes. We mourn her loss, and her large city family extends our heartfelt condolences to her family who she treasured so much.”
The city will lower flags at its facilities in honor of Williams through Tuesday at sunset.
To honor Williams, the City Council recently voted to name the new transit center at Metrocenter after her. In 2019, the city, along with the Downtown Phoenix Partnership and PetSmart Charities, built the “Thelda Williams Paw-Pup Dog Park,” downtown Phoenix’s first dog park. Williams was a devout animal lover and spearheaded multiple city policies to protect dogs.
“Former Mayor Williams is a great leader who brought Phoenix together and was a real inspiration to me personally as someone who could figure out solutions to really contentious problems.” – Jordan Rose, Rose Law Group founder and president
