BUCKFIELD — Glenn Holmes is proud of the work he has done as town manager the past seven years. Now he’s ready to work for all of Oxford County.

Holmes, 47, submitted his resignation to the Board of Selectmen on Tuesday night. He will begin his full-time position as director of the Western Maine Economic Development Council in South Paris on Feb. 3.

“I’ve had a very balanced mix of private and public service, and have been involved in startups. I understand the impact of creating jobs has on people,” he said Thursday morning.

He considers his greatest accomplishment as town manager as saving the Buckfield Village Corp. from bankruptcy.

“We worked with residents, the Public Utilities Commission and Northeast Bank,” he said.

He is also pleased with the integration of Buckfield Rescue Service as a municipal department.

“If it hadn’t, we would no longer have a local rescue service,” he said.

Among his many goals as director of the development council is bringing broadband to many rural areas in the county, as well as helping businesses grow and bringing new ones to the area.

He will be working with businesses, communities, legislators, municipalities and economic development organizations to promote economic development in Oxford County.

Prior to becoming Buckfield’s town manager, Holmes served as the media manager for Portland MediaPower.

He said the town will seek an interim manager while it searches for a permanent replacement.

His current salary is $46,800. He declined to reveal the salary he will receive in his new position.

Holmes said he will help with the town manager interim search process until his resignation date. He will also begin some duties with WMEDC, such as introducing himself to organizations and reviewing current projects.

“It was not an easy decision to make,” he said of leaving.

“I love the diversity. One minute sand is needed; the next, people need help. But at the same time, economic development for our county is one of the most important things anyone can do.”

The WMEDC is part of Community Concepts. It began as the Oxford Hills Growth Council.

Holmes is replacing Linda Walbridge, who retired.

He is a 1982 graduate of the former Mexico High School and recently served as a Buckfield representative on the merger committee that eventually formed Western Foothills Regional School Unit 10, which is comprised of the former SAD 43 in Rumford, SAD 39 in Buckfield and SAD 21 in Dixfield.

Holmes and his wife, Penny, have five children and three grandchildren.