Rita Mercier is the wife of the late
Ralph Mercier. She has four children. Rita currently works for the
Middlesex County Sheriff's Department. She was born and raised in
Lowell, the daughter of the late Rita and Leo Rospond.
On January 7, 2002, Rita Mercier became the third woman ever elected Mayor of the City of Lowell, Massachusetts, since its inception in 1826. She has topped the ticket in eight elections.
She has worked tirelessly to make Lowell a destination city and to provide the seniors with a new Senior Center, completed in 2003. Councilor Mercier has served on numerous subcommittees including Auditor/Clerk Oversight, Parks and Recreation, Public Safety, Neighborhoods/Traffic, Environmental, Council Rules, and the Youth. As Chair of Parks and Recreation, she led the development of ten park renovations.
Currently, Councilor Mercier is Chair of the Community Services and Parks and Recreation Subcommittees and is a member of the Arts and Culture, Flood Issues, Neighborhoods, and Youth Services Subcommittees.
On the statewide level, Councilor Mercier served as Committee Organizer for Committee to Elect Senator Henry (Scoop) Jackson for President in Brooklyn, New York, Senator Edward Kennedy Re-election Committee, and Committee to Protect Jobs and The Use of Convenient Containers (The Bottle Bill).
Councilor Mercier is a member of the Ladies Auxiliary at the East End Club and Honorary Member of the Post 662 VFW Honor Guard and an Honorary Member of the Greek American Legion.
Councilor Mercier also has served on the Board of Directors of several area organizations, Friends of the Council On Aging, Lowell Plan, and the Merrimack Valley Economic Council.