Norwich — The Selectboard has hired a former municipal administrator from the Northeast Kingdom as its interim town manager and said the search for a permanent employee could take as long as six months.

The new man in town is David Ormiston, former assistant town manager in St. Johnsbury, Vt., and finance coordinator in the village of Barton.

His contract with the town, which became effective on Monday, lasts until Jan. 31, 2017, and sets Ormiston’s salary at an annual rate of $83,200.

“I think they’re feeling pretty good about it,” Selectboard Chairwoman Linda Cook said of board members’ views on the hire. “That’s only my opinion — you’d have to ask each of us — but I’d say it’s on the positive side right now.”

A 50-year-old resident of Burke, Vt., Ormiston has lived in the Green Mountain State for nearly 30 years, working as executive director of a waste management district, a sales manager and an accountant before joining St. Johnsbury’s municipal government in 2013, according to his resume.

He left his most recent job, as Barton’s finance coordinator, by decision of the village trustees in what the Caledonian Record called a firing.

In an interview Wednesday, Ormiston called the separation a “termination” that had been “more mutual” than it might appear.

Ormiston cited two factors as contributing to his dismissal. “There wasn’t a clear-cut definition of what my role was,” he said, noting that he had been hired as a financial officer, but been handed more and more responsibilities. Moreover, the town had some “real deep financial issues” that preceded his tenure, he said.

Ormiston pointed out that Norwich had checked his references in Barton and that his St. Johnsbury colleagues had given him positive reviews. The Record’s coverage corroborates this.

Ormiston’s annual salary was about $55,000 at the time of his termination, according to the Record.

Former Town Manager Neil Fulton was making about $100,000, not including benefits, when he resigned in February.

Since then, Planning and Zoning Director Phil Dechert has filled in on an acting basis.

It is unclear when Norwich might hire a permanent manager. Board members are weighing hiring the Vermont League of Cities and Towns to help with the search, and that group has told Norwich it could take up to half a year, Cook said.

The Selectboard was scheduled to discuss the search process again at its Wednesday night meeting.

Rob Wolfe can be reached at rwolfe@vnews.com or 603-727-3242.