The town of Camp Verde has hired Miranda Fisher as the new town manager, with a projected start date of Tuesday, May 28, according to Camp Verde Acting Town Manager Gayle Mabery.
The Town Council is expected to approve Fisher’s contract at a meeting on Wednesday, April 17.
“I am deeply honored to have been selected as the new Town Manager for Camp Verde,” Fisher stated in a press release. “I am excited to collaborate with the council, staff, community and stakeholders to build upon the town’s rich history and lead it towards a future filled with opportunity, resilience and prosperity for all.”
Fisher holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism and technical communicationfrom Colorado State University, a master’s degree in public administration from Pennsylvania State College and a doctorate in public administration from California Baptist University. She was previously deputy town administrator and town clerk in Nederland, Colo., with a population of 1,500, and regional director at Aacres Nevada LLC in Las Vegas from 2015 to 2019. Since 2021, Fisher has been the town and zoning administrator for the town of Nederland.
“Different title [but it’s] the same as the town manager,” Fisher said at an informal meet-and-greet event on April 4. She explained that her professional goal has been to return to the area after starting her bachelor’s degree at Northern Arizona University. “Unfortunately, due to some medical things that family members were navigating, [I] had to move back to Colorado to support my family.”
While she is not originally from Northern Arizona, Fisher said that the area “does feel like home,” and that parallels between Camp Verde and her present position in Nederland have prepared her for the potential position.
“You’re also facing a lot of similar things to Nederland,” Fisher said. “Whether it’s housing or land use, how to grow while also maintaining your character and really keeping the culture here, it’s all the same, maybe geographically different. While Nederland on paper is 1,500 [residents], we actually support a large community of 6,000 to 7,000 because Nederrland has the schools and the medical [facilities] and the grocery stores … On paper, it may look like a big shift, but I really feel like I’ve prided myself both in that experience and then all of my [certifications] and just the kind of the work to be able to come here.”
Nederland is located in the foothills of southwest Boulder County, Colorado, 12 miles west of the city of Boulder, Colo., with outdoor recreation in the surrounding Arapaho National Forest, Roosevelt National Forest and the Pawnee National Grassland, managed together and collectively known as the ARP.
“As the town administrator of Nederland for three years, she dealt with many issues that are similar to those Camp Verde faces including affordable housing challenges; balancing growth with the preservation of community character and resident quality of life; and, the need for short and long-term planning to ensure the Town’s effective response to meet community needs,” the Town of Camp Verde stated in a press release.
“Miranda is a proven leader with a passion for public service and commitment to developing high functioning organizations. She has tackled challenges in her current position that are very similar to issues that Camp Verde faces, and we are excited to welcome her to this important role in our community.” Camp Verde Mayor Dee Jenkins stated in the press release.
The recruitment and selection process took over three months, beginning in January, according to the town.
The town received a total of 58 applications for the position. Pre-screening reviews and interviews narrowed the pool of candidates to six, and the Town Council ultimately selected four candidates to participate in the interview process.
The applicant pool for the position, which comes with an annual salary between $141,587 and $205,301, started with 58 candidates, who were then whittled down by Columbia Ltd. to six finalists, with four selected by the Camp Verde Town Council, including former Cottonwood City Manager Scotty Douglass. Camp Verde announced in a press release on Tuesday, April 2, that Douglass had withdrawn from the interview process; no reason was stated for his withdrawal. Charles “Chad” Morris, another finalist, withdrew from consideration after accepting a position with the city of Milton-Freewater, Ore.
The other finalist who interviewed with council and Camp Verde residents was Carla Reece, the deputy town clerk and Human Resources director for the town of Cave Creek.
Previous Town Managers
Fisher replaces Camp Verde Town Manager Tedmond “Ted” Soltis, who resigned suddenly on Nov. 17 after three months and nine days on the job, 103 days total. Soltis was hired July 12 and began work Aug. 7.
Soltis replaced Russ Martin, who had served the town for 12 years before council voted 6-1 in October 2022 not to renew his contract, which expired in March 2023.
Martin was hired as Florence’s town manager in January 2023, beginning work on March 6, 2023, but was dismissed by council by a 6-1 vote on Sept. 27. Martin was hired as the city of Sedona’s Human Relations manager on Dec. 4.
