The City of Clinton’s elected officials
Councilmember Wendy Maness
WENDY MANESS
“I believe it is very important to listen, even if I don’t have an answer.”
In such cases, Maness said she tries to get an answer within 24 hours.
She said she enjoys talking to the citizens of Clinton and wants to be a voice for them.
Maness grew up in Lexington, Mississippi, where she graduated from high school. She later attended Holmes Community College in Goodman, Mississippi.
It was her vocal talent that first brought her to Tennessee in 1999 to sing at the ’50s Christmas Show at Dollywood. She and her husband, Johnathan, currently have a band, WestWend.
In 2001, she moved to Clinton, where she is employed by Junior Achievement of East Tennessee as an instructional manager. She has two grown children.
Maness lives in South Clinton, and said the residents of that area felt treated as stepchildren.
Her decision to step into the political ring was based on her perception of what South Clinton residents wanted.
She believed the people of South Clinton wanted representation and needed someone to do that, she said.
She started attending South Clinton Vision meetings and got involved with the Homeless Coalition.
“I feel like you can’t complain if you are involved,” she said.
Maness is eight months into her first term. She said she is looking toward the future and wants to be a team player. She considers her first term as a learning experience and feels she could serve better in a second term.
One of the issues she is concerned about is the closed swimming pool in Jaycee Park. “Kids don’t have anywhere to go swimming,” she said.
She hopes the pool is in operation next year.
Maness expressed the same concern as other council members about the rapid rate of growth in Clinton. She said people are excited and at the same time scared about growth.
She mentioned plans for redoing sidewalks and widening streets in the downtown area.
Maness expressed concern about the number of empty commercial buildings in South Clinton.
“I think we have a lot of potential in this area,” she said. She wants to make South Clinton look better and is concerned with cleanup efforts in the area.
Maness is eager for the opening of Aspire Park, which has been delayed due to such things as COVID, supply issues, and rain. The park is scheduled to open either late spring or early summer next year. It will open in phases.
“I think it will do a lot for Clinton,” she said.
Among amenities the park will have are a restaurant, walking trails, a dog park, and access to the Clinch River.
