Tony Pittman’s career as an assistant principal with the Demopolis City School System is over.

He’s taking center stage now.

Pittman accepted the principal’s position at Westside Elementary School Monday night, filling the vacancy created by Connie Brown’s retirement.

“Because of the rapport he had with the students and teachers, (the board and I) felt like it would be more like a torch passing than a transition,” superintendent of Education Dr. Al Griffin said, “and that’s in the best interest of the kids.”

The promotion reunites Pittman with the staff at Westside where he served as assistant principal prior to last year before moving to the high school.

“He’s an excellent leader. He’s a good person and the faculty and staff at Westside think a lot of him,” Griffin said. “Throughout this process, everything I ever heard of Mr. Pittman was positive. Teachers asking, ‘Can we bring Mr. Pittman back?’ And, ‘What about Mr. Pittman?’ It was obvious there was already a strong relationship there.”

Griffin cited what appeared to be a strong bond with students as another key indicator that bringing Pittman back to the city’s elementary school was the right call.

“The door to his old office still had some decorations on it,” Griffin said, “and the students has written ‘We love you Mr. Pittman’ and ‘We miss you’ on there. That speaks a lot to the kind of relationship he’s built with those kids.”