‘You let me be me’- Cliff Jennings, outgoing mayor

Jennings closes out political career at Tuesday’s meeting

LAFOLLETTE, TN (WLAF)- It was a tearful good-bye from outgoing City of La Follette Mayor Cliff Jennings at the city’s November regular meeting on Tuesday afternoon. “You let me be me,” said Jennings.

In a political career that dates back 41 years, 1983, Jennings has worked with a lot of councils, serving as a council member, along with being La Follette’s longest, total years, serving mayor. “We’ve had superior council people before, and this is the best council I’ve ever worked with, Phillip Farmer, too, (Farmer, a council member, stepped down earlier to run, unsuccessfully, for mayor in last week’s election), and the department heads, I could not have have asked for more,” said Jennings.

Jennings, stopping to try and unsuccessfully fight through tears, gathered his voice to say “I didn’t have to be something … fake … I got to be me.” “This meeting is adjourned,” said Jennings one last time.

The meeting concluded with a standing ovation for Jennings.

“It’s the end of the Jennings Era, and I’m going to move on and happily and respectfully do that,” said Jennings. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED-11/13/2024-6AM)