Camp Verde Town Manager Tedmond “Ted” Soltis has resigned after three months and nine days on the job — 103 days total.
The Camp Verde Town Council discussed Soltis’ resignation during a special meeting on Friday, Nov. 17. The Camp Verde Town Council accepted his resignation at the Nov. 17 special session.
Additional information will be available in next week’s print edition.
The Camp Verde Town Council had unanimously selected Soltis as its new town manager on July 12 from a pool of 31 applicants and five finalists that council interviewed on June 20 and 21.
Soltis began work in the position on Aug. 7.
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 shortly after his six-month anniversary 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 then 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 2023, days after interviewing in Camp Verde.
Soltis was hired to replace Russ Martin, who served the town for 12 years before council voted 6-1 in October 2022 not to renew his contract, which expired in March.
Martin was 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.
Martin will reportedly begin working as the city of Sedona’s Human Relations manager on Monday, Dec. 4.
After serving as the Holbrook City Manager for four and a half years, Soltis provided a letter of resignation on June 22.
The Tribune-News article reads “Holbrook City Manager Ted Soltis presented a letter of resignation at the end of last week’s city council meeting on June 22, after filling that position for the past four and a half years. 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. It appeared even city staff were pleased as city sirens sounded off as word of the announcement spread.”
The article continues claiming “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.”
