LOCAL

City of San Angelo communications director Anthony Wilson accepts job in Maine

Staff report
Anthony Wilson, alongside mayor Brenda Gunter, listen to public questions during the State of the City address at Murphey Performance Hall in the City Auditorium on Tuesday, August 8, 2018. Wilson, who has served as the City of San Angelo's communications director since December 2018, has accepted a job as town manager in Belgrade, Maine.

SAN ANGELO – The City of San Angelo communications director is setting off for a new job in New England, according to a city press release. 

Anthony Wilson has been hired as the town manager of Belgrade, Maine. His final day with the City of San Angelo will be July 5.

Wilson joined the City in 2007 as its Civic Events manager, overseeing municipally owned venues such as Foster Communications Coliseum and the McNease Convention Center. He was named public information officer in 2012 and was promoted to communications director in December.

During his watch, the office won more than 60 local, state and national awards; programming on the City’s governmental access channel was revamped to reduce the number of meetings and increase original content; the City’s website was redesigned; its Facebook page grew to 30,000-plus followers; media coverage increased; audio-video equipment was modernized in the City Council chambers; and a TV studio was built and equipped, according to the release. 

Next month, the office will pilot one of the City’s first two electric cars.

"It’s important San Angelo knows I love it, I love my job and I love serving our citizens,” Wilson said. “Our family is simply ready for a new landscape, a new lifestyle and a new adventure. Professionally, I’m also eager for a different challenge. Belgrade and New England offer us all that. Even so, we’ll be leaving a part of ourselves behind here."

Belgrade is a town of about 3,200 residents in central Maine. It is a popular summer vacation destination surrounded by seven lakes, including Great Pond, which inspired the setting for the Academy Award-winning movie “On Golden Pond.”

City Videographer Brian Groves will lead the Public Information Office until a replacement is named.

"I’m proud to have been a member of such a dedicated team of public servants,” Wilson said. “I stand in awe of my colleagues’ many varied talents and their commitment to serve their neighbors and to better their home. It’s been an honor to shine a light on their work and to tell their stories."

Wilson joined the City after working in print journalism for two decades, including as managing editor of the San Angelo Standard-Times. His peers elected him to serve as the treasurer of the Texas Association of Municipal Information Officers. He is scheduled to graduate with his master of public administration degree in May.

"Anthony has poured himself into making our Public Information Office one of the state’s best,” City Manager Daniel Valenzuela said. “It’s a testament to his and Brian’s partnership that they have built a structure and a culture that ensures our citizens can remain plugged into their local government. His ethic and genuine interest in good governance will serve Belgrade well.”

Alana Edgin is a journalist covering Breaking News, Entertainment, Education and Real Estate in West Texas. Send her a news tip at aedgin@gannett.com. Consider supporting West Texas journalism with a subscription to GoSanAngelo.com.