Thelda Marie Williams (née Bender; June 30, 1941 – November 14, 2023) was an American politician who served as a city councilor in Phoenix, Arizona, from 1985.
[1] Williams, who had served on the Phoenix city council since 1989, was selected by the council to serve as an interim mayor of the city on March 29, 1994, following the resignation of former mayor Paul Johnson.
Johnson, who was announcing his candidacy for the office of Governor of Arizona, was forced to resign his position due to state law prohibiting current officeholders from seeking another office except in the last year of their term.
Williams chose to challenge the new incumbent Skip Rimsza for the office during the regular elections in 1995 but was defeated; having not run for reelection in her council seat, she left the city council in 1996.
Thelda Williams died from cancer on November 14, 2023, at the age of 82.