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Every four years when election rolled around, Wilson remained in the race for mayor.
"We always had a project going, something we wanted to finish that's why I stayed in," he said.
Wilson, who retired from Morgan Oil Co. eight years ago, faced opposition several times but was never defeated.
One of the first projects he accomplished was a facelift for the town through a Tennessee Valley Authority program called Small Town Facelift.
"TVA didn't have any money, but they had the expertise, and their engineers come down and walked around town with us, giving us suggestions to help our structural appearance," he said. "Several of the building owners had money to act on their suggestions, and we made some significant improvements."
The town's Cape Cod lampposts are a result of TVA's suggestions. "Everybody had to buy their own lamppost, while the town paid for the hook up," the mayor said. "The owners still pay the light bills."
Fostering a public/private partnership proved to be one of Wilson's strengths as an administrator. Take the sidewalks, for instance. Some 14 years ago Wilson enlisted the highway commission to tear up and rebuild the main sidewalk on Front Street.
"They agreed to do it if we agreed to go with brick. So we asked each of the storefront and homeowners to pay for the brick in front of their place; everyone agreed, and we got the Job Corps to do the brick work," said Wilson, noting that the Job Corps assisted with the town's last three sidewalk projects.
"When you are a small town and you don't have a lot of money to do things, building partnerships is the way to get things done," he said.
Dillsboro's launch park, the result of a partnership with the Jackson County Recreation and Parks Department, stands as another example. A $10,000 grant from the N.C. Parks and Recreation Trust Fund helped fund the family park the town built on property donated by Nantahala Power and Light Co. As part of the county greenway project, both parks are proposed to be joined by a trail funded through a $3,500 grant.
"The railroad's been good for Dillsboro's growth," said Wilson, who has tried to balance growth with the town's natural resources. Wilson also played a key role in the construction of the east-bound U.S. 23-74-441 exit ramp in Dillsboro.
Under his leadership, Dillsboro enacted a zoning ordinance, a sign ordinance, an animal control ordinance, as well as ordinances limiting cell towers and sexually-oriented businesses.
"I feel good about our proactive protection of Dillsboro through the years," said Wilson, who believes in a non-partisan board where "party affiliation is not an issue."
Each morning Wilson rises before his wife and begins his early-morning walk around Dillsboro. At a fast pace, he strides several different routes, unlocking the gate to the family park on his final round.
"It's my way of looking over the town every morning," he said.
Even though he won't be mayor following the November election, he plans to remain active in town issues.
"But mainly, right now, I need to spend time with my family," Wilson said. He and his wife will celebrate 53 years of marriage in October. They have a daughter, Susan Owen, a son, Walter, and four grandchildren.
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