Reno Chief of Police Jason Soto will be the interim city manager. He was selected by unanimous vote today by the Reno City Council to fill the position after current manager Sabra Newby leaves the post.
Soto starts May 11 and will serve in the position until November 30, 2020.
“I think it makes sense being in an emergency pandemic to have somebody from public safety to help the city through a time where there’s going to be an absence of the city manager,” he said. “I think everybody here has known me long enough to understand I do have a somewhat level demeanor, and I like to think issues through. I do know there are a lot of challenges right now with this Covid-19 pandemic.”
Soto said he did not pursue the position and does not have a replacement to act as police chief just yet.
“I didn’t make any decisions or take any action until today because I did not know what was going to occur,” he said.
Soto said anyone on his executive staff could serve as his temporary replacement.
“It’s a short amount of time to get a lot of things done,” he added. “There’s a lot of work, a lot of unknowns.”
