Resident Champion Feature: Ben Soltesz

Resident Champion: Ben Soltesz

Ben Soltesz wears many hats on the Northside. In addition to being a husband, father and Spring Hill resident, Ben is the President of the Spring Hill Civic League, President of the Northside Leadership Conference and the lead organizer for the Northside Music Festival.

The Northside Music Festival, held recently in the historic Deutschtown neighborhood of East Allegheny on July 14, 15, and 16, is a big production. In addition to featured performances by approximately 80 bands, there were activities for kids and families on Saturday and on Sunday, Allegheny Center Alliance Church sponsored and organized Gospel Sunday.

As Ben says, “it’s a great day to come out, or two days, and just really hang in the neighborhood and see some good music.”

After exploring housing options across the city, Ben and his family purchased a home in Spring Hill in 2001.

“We fell in love with the Northside, number one, how close it is to everything. But then it was also our neighbors. A lot of my neighbors around me here have been here forever. Everybody here was very friendly”, shares Soltesz.

He was first approached about joining the Spring Hill Civic League when he moved into the neighborhood. Spring Hill Civic League has five general meetings every year. They do a certain number of events for kids, for families, and community garbage cleanups.

Recalling advice he received from a former city council member, Ben said, “The first way that you get started in local neighborhood organizations is you go to a garbage cleanup. You come to a garbage cleanup. You get to meet the people who are active in the neighborhood. You clean up your neighborhood, and then you start coming to the events.”

Ben’s engagement in the Spring Hill Civic League led him to his current role as President and then President of the Northside Leadership Conference (NSLC). He has been on the board of the NSLC for the past eight years and has been president for the past year and half. The NSLC is a multi-neighborhood Community Development Corporation. In addition to providing a comprehensive range of services, the NSLC also operates two subsidiaries: Northside Community Development Fund and the Northside Chronicle.

To Ben, the Northside is a great place and he and his family love Spring Hill.

“It’s a family friendly place. We raised our kids here. All of my neighbors have either grown up here, or they’ve been raising their kids here. We see a lot more people moving up here and it’s very welcoming for families.”

Watch the interview video and hear from the featured Resident Champion himself!