Ted Soltis has now spent a little over a month as Camp Verde’s town manager since his official start on Aug. 7 and has stayed busy gathering information while evaluating the goals of the community.
Soltis and his family have been passing through Camp Verde for a number of years since moving to Arizona.
“Ten years ago, when I first saw the town, I thought it sure would be nice someday to live here,” Soltis said.
Soltis received his bachelor’s degree in political science from Montana State University and his master’s in public administration from the University of Montana.
Since starting his new position, Soltis has been spending his time familiarizing himself with the area and getting to know the town staff. He said that one of the reasons he pursued a career in local government was to help his community.
“It’s really a hands-on situation where you’re wearing a variety of hats,” Soltis said. “You can help your community and that’s something that’s important to me.”
Soltis said that he really enjoys working in smaller western communities, especially if there’s a history to them.
“Something that’s important to me is honoring that past as we look to the future,” Soltis said. “Often small communities struggle with how to move forward, while at the same time maintaining that small community feeling.”
In his previous position as city manager for Willcox, Arizona, Soltis worked on cleaning up blighted areas and repairing parks. Soltis said that government should be setting an example for the community. Before telling members of the public that they need to clean up their property, government buildings and other city amenities should be in good condition.
Soltis added that he learned from his time in the hospitality industry that if a hotel looks nice on the outside, travelers are more likely to stay there than at a facility that is less visually appealing. He likened this to communities and said that if parks and facilities look attractive, an area becomes a place people might want to stay or relocate to.
Soltis also sees beautifying the community as a large part of economic development and said that while economic development can take the form of larger projects, it often comes down to small things like the cleaning of parks and a downtown area.
“That’s a big part of economic development,” Soltis said. “That also encourages folks that are living in the community to want to stay there as they raise kids, and their kids might want to stay there.”
“I’m in an information-gathering stage,” Soltis continued. “My goal would be to evaluate all aspects of the community and make sure that we’re doing the very best we can in all arenas,” such as being business-friendly, helpful and inviting.
Potential growth pressure on the town is another concern for Soltis. He aims to make sure that the infrastructure can keep up with those growth pressures while maintaining the small-town atmosphere that attracts people.
“When I go into communities, I take a complete look of everything that’s going on in that community,” Soltis said, including its finances, policies, procedures and the condition of various city properties. “I take a comprehensive look and then do my best to help move that community forward.”
Water is another issue that Soltis is currently considering, as well as completion of the town’s sports complex. One of the areas of concern with the sports complex is drainage, especially during the monsoon season.
Soltis said that a favorite saying of his is “Give good people good information and you get good decisions.” He stressed the importance of working together as a team, including with staff, the town council and the public, and the importance of having all of the communities in the valley working together on larger issues, such as water.
“My wife and I are really excited to be here,” Soltis said. “I think it’s a great community and a great area … I think I can really put my talents and skills to work in this area and really be of benefit to the community and to the area.”
Soltis said Camp Verde residents can reach him best by email at ted.soltis@ campverde.az.gov regarding issues around town.
