There was no new insight provided at the Camp Verde Town Council meeting to formally accept Camp Verde Town Manager Tedmond “Ted” Soltis’ resignation after three months and nine days on the job — 103 days total.
Council discussed and accepted Soltis’ resignation during a special meeting in executive session on Friday, Nov. 17, that lasted about 30 minutes.
Soltis did not provide a letter of resignation but resigned verbally, which is highly unusual for a person in a city manager post.
Soltis did not respond to a request for comment. He had reportedly cleared out his office on Nov. 17.
Councilwoman Wendy Escoffier expressed the council’s appreciation and wished him well.
The council had unanimously selected Soltis as Camp Verde’s new town manager on July 12 from a pool of 31 applicants and five finalists. Soltis started the position on Aug. 7.
Previous Positions
Soltis was previously the town manager for Kremmling, Colo., from 2007 to 2012 before the town terminated his contract. He then became city manager of Castle Pines, Colo., in the fall of 2012, before resigning after six months to become the city manager of Willcox, a town of about 3,000 people in Cochise County, starting in June 2013. He was terminated in March 2018 for unspecified reasons, later reported as a “difference of opinions,” by then-Willcox City Attorney Ann Roberts.
Soltis next went on to serve as the city manager of Holbrook, a city of about 5,000 residents in Navajo County, starting on March 4, 2019. He resigned suddenly in June 2022.
“The announcement came as a surprise to a majority of the council, and community response has been one of relief and excitement for the city moving forward,” Linda Kor and Talaina Kor wrote in the Holbrook Tribune on June 27, 2022. “It appeared even city staff were pleased, as city sirens sounded off as word of the announcement spread … Soltis has built a reputation of being unapproachable and unavailable to members of the public and has also displayed a lack of understanding of community needs, an issue addressed numerous times by members of the public at council meetings. Soltis has presented no evidence of economic development during his time with the city, has eliminated key staffing positions and has failed to address the city’s extensive blight and street repairs, among other concerns.”
Soltis was hired to replace Russ Martin, who managed the town for 12 years before council voted 6-1 in October 2022 not to renew his contract, which expired in March. Martin was then hired as Florence’s town manager in January, beginning work on March 6, but was dismissed by council by a 6-1 vote on Sept. 27. He will reportedly begin working as the city of Sedona’s Human Relations manager on Monday, Dec. 4.
