PHOENIX — Former Phoenix Mayor Thelda Williams, the only person to serve as mayor of Arizona's biggest city on three separate occasions, passed away Tuesday night. She was 82.
The city announced that Williams died after a brief battle with cancer.
“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 said in a statement.
Williams was first elected to the city council in 1989. She served on the council again between 2007 and 2021.
After the resignations of Mayors Paul Johnson, Terry Goddard and Greg Stanton, the council picked Williams served as an interim mayor, thus allowing her to serve as the city's top elected official multiple times.
The council recently voted to name Phoenix's new transit center at Metrocenter after Williams.
Williams was remembered as an animal lover who championed policies that aimed to protect dogs.
In honor of Williams, the city will lower flags at its facilities through Tuesday at sunset.
>> Download the 12News app for the latest local breaking news straight to your phone.
Watch 12News+ for free
You can now watch 12News content anytime, anywhere thanks to the 12News+ app!
The free 12News+ app from 12News lets users stream live events — including daily newscasts like "Today in AZ" and "12 News" and our daily lifestyle program, "Arizona Midday"—on Roku and Amazon Fire TV.
12News+ showcases live video throughout the day for breaking news, local news, weather and even an occasional moment of Zen showcasing breathtaking sights from across Arizona.
Users can also watch on-demand videos of top stories, local politics, I-Team investigations, Arizona-specific features and vintage videos from the 12News archives.
Roku: Add the channel from the Roku store or by searching for "12 News KPNX."
Amazon Fire TV: Search for "12 News KPNX" to find the free 12News+ app to add to your account, or have the 12News+ app delivered directly to your Amazon Fire TV through Amazon.com or the Amazon app.