Mardi Wormhoudt, 72, the indomitable Mayor of Santa Cruz during the Loma Prieta earthquake, died yesterday after a struggle with melanoma.
Mardi Wormhoudt, 72, the indomitable Mayor of Santa Cruz during the Loma Prieta earthquake, died yesterday after a struggle with melanoma. Born in Wisconsin, Wormhoudt moved to Santa Cruz with her family in the mid-1970s. She quickly became a leading figure in local progressive politics, and this led to her election to City Council in 1981. At the time, she was the only woman to serve on the council.
Fellow Council members remember her as a blunt, outspoken woman, who was a fierce political opponent. But her political opponents also remember how she was able to cross the divide in her personal life and remain a close friend despite their differences.
Perhaps the greatest challenge Wormhoudt faced during her three terms as mayor was the Loma Prieta earthquake of 1989. She was at home at the time of the quake—even as mayor she always insisted on spending dinnertime with her husband, three sons, and daughter.
Soon after the earthquake she resigned from City Council to serve as County Supervisor for the Third District, a post she held for twelve years. During that time, she continued to advocate for progressive policies and, as a social worker, worked to reform the justice system, with an emphasis on the treatment of women and children.
Locally, the “iron lady” of Santa Cruz politics, will be remembered for the Vision Santa Cruz task force that she launched and her program to rebuild the city’s downtown after it was devastated in the earthquake. City Manager Dick Wilson recalls that “she was just extraordinary during that time.” While memorial services have yet to be announced, as Don Miller, editor of the Sentinel says, downtown Santa Cruz is “a testament” to her fierce determination and strength to get things done. It will continue to be that for many years to come.
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