Weaver, AL – On September 30th Weaver welcomed their new Mayor, Jeff Clendenning and newest council-member Terri Summerlin at a well attended swearing in ceremony. The event was attended by many residents as well as Commissioner Lee Patterson, incoming Commissioner Terry Howell, city council members, department heads, and staff. Outgoing Mayor Wayne Willis commended Mr. Clendenning and Ms. Summerlin for their willingness to serve. He also praised the current city council who he credited for the progress Weaver has made. Outgoing Mayor Willis also handed the keys to city, (all unlabeled of course) over to incoming Mayor Clendenning and wished him good luck! He also removed his picture from the wall and moved it to the back with the other former mayors. He then invited Mr. Clendenning to place his portrait in the Mayors spot.
The swearing in was conducted by former Weaver Council-member Shelia Field. She first swore Mayor Clendenning in and then Councilwoman Terri Summerlin. The actual swearing in was brief, but full of emotion. Councilwoman Summerlin said she was honored to take Jeff’s place and she was going to do her best to represent everybody in the city. Mayor Clendenning also commended the sitting council and noted that it just got better with the addition of Terri. He also stated how proud he was to take over at this time. He wanted to give credit to former Mayor Willis for leaving the city in such a great position. He noted the financial stability and all the projects that are in progresses. He mentioned there would be small changes and new additions. He also thanked everyone for attending.
The Calhoun Journal spoke to Ms. Summerlin who is new to the council, but not new to Weaver leadership. Mrs. Summerlin has served under seven mayors in Weaver and is well aquatinted with the budget. She is known to be vocal and not shy. Mrs. Summerlin explained that her motivation to serve comes from understanding that this is an important role and the wrong person can create problems and not care about departments and employees. This role has to take all those impacted into account. She all said she cares about Weaver and wants what is best. She has already been approached by many residents about issues they want looked at.
The Calhoun Journal had a chance to speak to Mayor Clendenning. Mr. Clendenning joined the Weaver city council in 2008. He stated it has been his honor and privilege to serve the City of Weaver as council-member and mayor pro tem. He initially was coming to the meetings because he loves local politics. He believes that this is where you really make a difference. This inspired him to run. Over the 14 years he has served on the council he is very proud of the road improvements. He said while there is much more to be done he is proud of what has been done. He is also very proud of the park and the overall growth of Weaver. Coming into the role of Mayor he has a clear idea of where he wants to focus his attention. He wants to build a new bathroom in the park. He wants to take the old fire department building and revamp it for the public works department. He wants to pave 3-5 roads a year with the gas tax and oil finds. He also thinks one of the most important issues facing Weaver is the water. He stated there will be a lot of important decisions to be made and he is glad there is a great council in place. He also noted the spirit of corporation the council has with each other.
Mayor Clendenning and his wife reading over the oath of office.
All members of the council took time to thank former Mayor Willis for the ability to continue a forward path and thanked him for the way he led the city. They also expressed their excitement with the direction Weaver is going in and stated they feel confident in the new leadership under Mayor Clendenning.
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The swearing in was conducted by former Weaver Council-member Shelia Field. She first swore Mayor Clendenning in and then Councilwoman Terri Summerlin. The actual swearing in was brief, but full of emotion. Councilwoman Summerlin said she was honored to take Jeff’s place and she was going to do her best to represent everybody in the city. Mayor Clendenning also commended the sitting council and noted that it just got better with the addition of Terri. He also stated how proud he was to take over at this time. He wanted to give credit to former Mayor Willis for leaving the city in such a great position. He noted the financial stability and all the projects that are in progresses. He mentioned there would be small changes and new additions. He also thanked everyone for attending.
The Calhoun Journal spoke to Ms. Summerlin who is new to the council, but not new to Weaver leadership. Mrs. Summerlin has served under seven mayors in Weaver and is well aquatinted with the budget. She is known to be vocal and not shy. Mrs. Summerlin explained that her motivation to serve comes from understanding that this is an important role and the wrong person can create problems and not care about departments and employees. This role has to take all those impacted into account. She all said she cares about Weaver and wants what is best. She has already been approached by many residents about issues they want looked at.
The Calhoun Journal had a chance to speak to Mayor Clendenning. Mr. Clendenning joined the Weaver city council in 2008. He stated it has been his honor and privilege to serve the City of Weaver as council-member and mayor pro tem. He initially was coming to the meetings because he loves local politics. He believes that this is where you really make a difference. This inspired him to run. Over the 14 years he has served on the council he is very proud of the road improvements. He said while there is much more to be done he is proud of what has been done. He is also very proud of the park and the overall growth of Weaver. Coming into the role of Mayor he has a clear idea of where he wants to focus his attention. He wants to build a new bathroom in the park. He wants to take the old fire department building and revamp it for the public works department. He wants to pave 3-5 roads a year with the gas tax and oil finds. He also thinks one of the most important issues facing Weaver is the water. He stated there will be a lot of important decisions to be made and he is glad there is a great council in place. He also noted the spirit of corporation the council has with each other.
