Mercy Williams facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mercy Williams
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| Born | 1947 |
| Died | 19 November 2014 Kochi, Kerala
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| Occupation | Teacher and politician |
| Spouse(s) | T.J. Williams |
| Children | 1 son |
Mercy Williams (born around 1947 – died November 19, 2014) was a special person who started as a teacher and then became a politician. She made history as the 16th Mayor of Kochi, a big city in Kerala, India. She was the first woman to ever hold this important job in Kochi.
Mercy Williams was part of a political group called the Left Democratic Front. She was chosen as Mayor by a vote among the members of the Kochi city council. She won with 47 votes, while the other candidate received 23 votes. As a council member, Mercy Williams represented the Kunnumpuram area, which was the 36th division of the city.
Contents
Life and Career
Early Life and Education
Mercy Williams was a very bright student. She earned a Master of Arts (MA) degree in Sociology from the University of Kerala. She was the top student in her class and even won a gold medal! She also did special research for her doctorate degree. Her research was about how Kochi city grew and changed over time.
From Teacher to Politician
Mercy Williams worked as a teacher at St. Teresa's College for many years. She started as a lecturer and later became the head of the Sociology department. She retired from teaching in 2005.
Right after she retired, Mercy Williams decided to enter politics. She ran for election to become a member of the Kochi city council for the Kunnumpuram area. Even though she ran as an independent candidate, she had the support of the Communist Party of India (Marxist).
Becoming Mayor of Kochi
After winning her spot on the city council, Mercy Williams was then chosen by the other council members to be the Mayor. She became the 16th Mayor of Kochi and, as mentioned, the first woman to ever hold this position. She won the Mayor's election by a large number of votes.
Mercy Williams served as the Mayor of Kochi from 2005 to 2010. Her background in studying cities and planning helped her a lot in her role as Mayor. She made sure to attend all important meetings about city development projects. These projects often received funding from big programs like the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).
Making Kochi a Cleaner City
When Mercy Williams became Mayor, Kochi was known for having a lot of garbage. But she worked very hard to change that. By the end of her time as Mayor, Kochi was recognized as one of the cleanest cities in India!
She created new rules for how the city managed its waste. These were the first rules of their kind in Kerala. She started a system where every house received buckets to separate their garbage. This helped make waste management much easier and cleaner for everyone.
Funding City Development
Mercy Williams was also very good at getting money for city improvements. She managed to get about 900 crores of Indian rupees for different projects. This money came from places like the Asian Development Bank and the JNNURM program. These funds helped Kochi grow and develop.
Later Life
Mercy Williams passed away from cancer when she was 67 years old. She was buried on November 20, 2014, in the St John The Baptist Church in Palarivattom. She was married to T.J. Williams and had one son named Anoop Joachim.
