After months of sifting through resumes and interviewing candidates, the search is over.

It’s official – Joseph Madore is the new Oxford Village manager.

“I’m very excited,” he told council at last week’s meeting. “Hearing some of the issues you guys grapple with, I’m ready to help you with those.”

Council voted 4-0 to approve a six-page employment agreement with Madore, effective Dec. 18. Councilman Joe Frost was absent from the meeting.

“I appreciate your faith in me and I plan to put it to good use,” said Madore, who currently serves as the supervisor of Richfield Township in Genesee County, an elected position he’s held since November 2008.

Madore is eager to start his new job.

“I can’t wait to get to know the folks in the community better and really dig in,” he said.

Under the contract, Madore will be an at-will employee and receive an annual salary of $72,000, plus benefits including health insurance, retirement, dental and optical coverage, life insurance and short-term and long-term disability coverage.

If Madore is terminated by the village council, he will be entitled to a severance payment equal to three months worth of his base salary. The only exception is if he’s fired because he’s “convicted of any crime related to malfeasance in office.” In that case, the “severance payment is waived.”

Councilman Erik Dolan was pleased with the decision to hire Madore and is hopeful about the future.

“Nine or 10 months ago, we made a decision to go in a different direction and I think we’ve made the right choice,” he said. “I think it’s the right choice for the residents and I believe it’s the right choice, ultimately, for the staff.”

“I’m looking forward to a far more professionalized organization and I have confidence that Joseph is going to be able to meet that challenge,” Dolan added.

Council’s hiring of Madore is the culmination of a lengthy search process that began after the previous manager, Joe Young, was terminated in a 3-2 vote by council on Feb. 23.

No reason for the termination was ever given, but none needed to be since Young was an at-will employee.

Young, who had worked for the village since June 2004, worked his last day March 31. He’s currently serving as Lake Orion’s village manager. Since Young’s departure, Oxford has had two interim managers.