After a monthslong search, Silverthorne has chosen Missourian Greg Camp as its new town manager. 

Camp, who is leaving his position as the city administrator for Festus, Missouri, will assume the position in March. He is replacing Ryan Hyland, who resigned in May. 

As Camp gears up to take on his new role in Silverthorne, he and other Festus staff members and city officials face a civil lawsuit regarding allegations that they violated Missouri’s Sunshine Laws — which are meant to ensure transparency from governments — while working on a data center deal. 

The lawsuit was filed in January by a candidate running for a council seat, according to reporting from Leader Publications. The lawsuit alleges Camp “engaged in private communications with multiple City Council members concerning the proposed data center project” and “acted as a conduit and intermediary relaying information, positions and strategy among City Council members outside of any publicly noticed meeting.”

Camp said he can’t comment on the ongoing litigation, but said he has a career that he hopes shows that he values the importance of transparency and community engagement. He said he takes transparency seriously and has also begun versing himself in Colorado’s open meeting and open record laws. 

Mayor Ann-Marie Sandquist said the town was aware of the litigation when hiring him. She said the town attorney and recruiting firm looked into the allegations, as well as Camp’s background, and officials  “were still comfortable (with) hiring him.”

Camp brings decades of public service to the table, holding roles like alderman and mayor in Desloge, Missouri before becoming the city administrator of Desloge and then Festus. 

He said he and his wife have spent the last decade and a half driving through Silverthorne to visit family in Edwards. He said they had the same thought every time: “If we’re ever at a point in our life where this is a possibility, this is a place that we would really like to call home.”

When the job application opened in September, he said he immediately applied. Sandquist said the town promptly got a notification indicating he signed up for Silverthorne’s newsletter, showing an interest in learning more right off the bat. 

She said Camp’s eclectic background in public service and his preparedness is what helped sell him to Silverthorne Town Council. She said his skillsets stood out, and his experience fell in line with initiatives the town is currently working on. Namely, Camp had experience securing funding for major road and infrastructure projects, and led downtown revitalization efforts. Silverthorne has been working to garner funding for road and infrastructure projects after a mobility study demonstrated traffic on Highway 9 would increase 45% in the next 20 years. It has also been working on solidifying a downtown area. Additionally, Sandquist said Silverthorne’s elected officials were attracted by Camp’s work to advance economic development in Festus. 

Camp said he can already tell he is joining an extremely capable staff, noting how they were able to keep the town running for close to a year without a town manager. 

“I’m just a single piece to a much larger puzzle to help Silverthorne realize all of its potential,” He said.  “Whether it’s on the creative arts side with the Art Spot and everything that’s going on over there, whether it’s the development with what’s going on at Fourth Street, whether it’s bringing the final bits and pieces for the (Silverthorne Recreation Center) together, I want to help.” 

Camp said he’s particularly excited to see the Silverthorne Recreation Center get to the finish line because he knows what the offering means to the community and because he’s a big “infrastructure guy.” He said efficient infrastructure is paramount, and it’s important for a municipality to have a solid plan to keep it that way. 

One thing Camp said he quickly learned about Silverthorne is the community is firm in its identity as a mountain town community that supports each other, and he wants to build on that.

“It’s about being able to propel ourselves in that same direction of building that sense of community and place, respecting the input from the community, and friends and neighbors (and) coming together to really build that next piece for Silverthorne,” he said.