NORWICH — The Norwich Selectboard has hired a new town manager, and members didn’t have to look too far to find him.

The board announced Wednesday during its regular meeting that interim Town Manager Roderick Francis has been chosen to fill the job permanently following an extensive search.

Francis, who is also director of planning and zoning for the town, will continue in that role until his replacement can be hired.

Selectboard Chairman Roger Arnold announced the appointment.

“We believe that he has acquired great insights from his work as a director of planning that will serve us really well in this unique moment,” he said.

The Selectboard voted, 4-1, to approve the hiring of Francis; board member Marcia Calloway cast the lone vote against. She did not elaborate on her vote but did promise to work with Francis for the benefit of the town.

The other board members praised Francis for his work as interim manager and expressed confidence he will do a good job. Board member Claudette Brochu praised Francis for his work as interim manager.

“Norwich is not an easy town to try to manage, and I think he’s done a great job,” Brochu said.

It was that familiarity that Arnold said may have given him a leg up on other candidates. He beat out 31 other applicants for the job, which a screening committee cut down to a list of five. Then an interview committee whittled those down to two finalists, who were interviewed by the Selectboard.

Francis took over Aug. 31 when former Town Manager Herb Durfee’s contract expired. The board voted not to offer Durfee a new contract and recommended Francis to fill his shoes as he departed, Arnold said.

The board had planned to hire someone to fill the role of interim town manager during the search. But in October the board’s choice for the role turned it down after taking another position, so the board asked Francis to continue through February.

In the end, that may have won Francis the job, as it turned into a five-month audition.

In that time, Francis was able to shepherd the town through a crafting a budget, as well as the departure of the town police chief and the hiring and of a new director of public works, while leading a staff of 20 and overseeing a $4.9 million general fund budget.

“We had the benefit of seeing what he could do for us,” Arnold said after the meeting.

Arnold also said that just as when Francis joined town staff as director of planning and was handed a newly rejected town plan draft, he stepped up as interim town manager.

“Him taking on the hard work has characterized his work with the town of Norwich,” Arnold said.

In a news release issued by the Selectboard, Francis said his work as interim town manager made him want to toss his hat in the ring.

“Together I hope we can bring town government into the 21st century while maintaining New England traditions of civic participation,” he said in the release.

Shortly after his appointment, Francis joked with the board when it came time to give the manager’s report.

“This seems to be the interim town manager report,” Francis said. “There hasn’t been much happening since I became town manager, I hope.”