Last week, Oxford Village received the Christmas gift that keeps on giving the whole year – and no, Eddie, it’s not the Jelly of the Month club.

After months of searching, the municipality finally has a manager without the word “interim” in his title.

Joseph Madore started his new job as the village’s top administrator Dec. 18.

He’s looking forward to helping get things back on track in Oxford after a topsy-turvy year that saw the village’s manager, police chief, Downtown Development Authority director and clerk/treasurer all exit the municipal stage due to termination, resignation and retirement.

“We’re going to be okay,” Madore assured.

Madore’s goal is to bring “stability” to the village. He believes there should he an “almost dullness” to the way local government operates and that’s not a bad thing to him because it means things are running smooth and steady.

“There’s no need for peaks and valleys,” he said.

Madore is no stranger to local government. He’s served as supervisor for Genesee County’s Richfield Township ever since he was elected in November 2008.

Richfield is a 36-square-mile rural, general law township with a population approaching 9,000 residents, a general fund budget of $2.3 million and a police department that operates 24-7. It’s a mix of bedroom community and farming community.

Although he’s an elected official, he’s far from a political animal. He has no aspirations for higher office.

“I’m not a politician. I’m a manager,” said Madore, a 1982 graduate of Davison High School. “I’m not looking to run for state rep.”

He “never” had any interest in seeking office until the “town elders” of Richfield approached him and requested he toss his hat into the ring. “That’s what got me involved,” Madore said.

He agreed to run because he felt a sense of obligation to the community in which he was born, raised and was now raising a family of his own, which includes his wife of 23 years, Debi, and sons Kyle, 20, and Christian, 15, a freshman at Davison High School.

“It’s my backyard,” Madore said. “Someone needs to take care of it (who’s) got our community’s interest (at heart).”

He’s the third generation of his family to call Richfield home. “My grandpa had an apple orchard . . . I grew up in the house next to the farm where my dad grew up,” Madore said.

Madore plans, “for the time being,” to continue serving as township supervisor while working as village manager, a position for which Oxford has agreed to pay him $72,000 annually, plus benefits.

He wants to make sure things are going to work out in Oxford before giving up his position in Richfield. “With what’s been going on here in the last year, I can’t unplug from there 100 percent – I have a family,” he said.

That being said, Madore noted, “I don’t expect any issues here. The (council) seems to be ready to put this thing back together and get us on some firm ground.”

“There’s no conflict” between the two positions, according to Madore, and there’s nothing that precludes him as a township official from having another job. He believes he can do both jobs for now without shortchanging either community.

“Elected officials don’t have hours,” he said. “You have statutory duties. As long as those are done, you don’t even have to be in the building.”

His deputy supervisor will handle the day-to-day work while he’ll continue to attend township board meetings.

“We have one meeting a month,” he said.

Thanks to its experienced and knowledgable staff, Richfield’s office is “pretty well-run,” enabling Madore to be away. He plans to stop by the Richfield office from time-to-time on nights and weekends to stay abreast of things.

“I’m used to going up there at 10 o’clock at night if need be,” he said.

Madore doesn’t plan to occupy both positions on a permanent basis.

“Hopefully, I can find somebody up there that can take the reins full-time and they can run (for supervisor) and take it over,” he said.

Madore doesn’t expect running a village to be much different than overseeing a township. He said both have ordinances, budgets, planning commissions, zoning boards of appeal and police departments.

The only thing Oxford has that Richfield does not is a Department of Public Works (DPW) and he sees that as a big benefit here.

“We use the road commission,” Madore said. “That’s the biggest difference.”

He has plenty of experience dealing with the same two unions – American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) and Police Officer Labor Council (POLC) – that represent Oxford’s DPW workers and police officers. He served as Richfield’s lead negotiator four times from 2009-17.

When it comes to dealing with the public, Madore is all about talking to people and giving them the straight skinny.

“I think I do a really good job at communicating what’s really going on, the real story or the real issue,” he said. “Come and ask me anything you want and I’ll do my best to get you the information.”

Madore said often times people get “all worked up” because they were supplied with bad or inaccurate information.

“If you get people the right information, a lot of times that solves issues,” he noted.

Beyond facts and figures, Madore is willing to take the time to explain to people how things work and why certain decisions are made.

“There’s a lot more to a decision than just one perspective,” he said. “Sometimes they’ll understand (that). Sometimes they’re going to be frustrated by the process.”

In the end, he explained all government can do is make sure everything, from policies to services, is done “professionally” and on “a fair and even basis.”

“We aren’t here to push people aside,” Madore said. “You can’t put one squeaky-wheel person above everyone else.”

Small business owners will be glad to know that Madore understands exactly where they’re coming from when it comes to the challenges they face from both the government and economic conditions.

Since 2006, he and his wife have owned Davison Sign and Business Supply located on M-15. His wife has been running it since 2008.

“You’ve got to have some codes – I get it,” said Madore, but “you can’t put up too many hurdles and roadblocks for businesses.”

People who have “never been in (a small business owner’s) shoes,” who have never faced the “ups and downs of the economy,” according to Madore, sometimes “take it for granted” that just because someone owns a business, “they have money” and can pay for anything and everything.

He knows from experience that’s not true.

“It’s good to have that perspective,” said Madore, who served on Davison’s Downtown Development Authority board from 2007-09.

While with the DDA, he worked on storefront facade grant programs, helped coordinate an annual pumpkin festival and helped start a downtown car cruise.

So far, Madore is impressed with what he’s seen of Oxford. “I think it’s beautiful. The downtown and the neighborhoods, they’re just beautiful,” he said. “To drive through the downtown area at one (o’clock) in the afternoon and see the parking lots (are) three-quarters full means it’s very popular – people are utilizing it. That’s a good thing.”