How Long in Newtown: We have lived in Newtown since 1989. We were in Sandy Hook for six years before moving to the Butterfield Road house in 1996. I grew up in Ridgefield, and graduated from Ridgefield High School. My family had moved to Connecticut
How Long in Newtown: We have lived in Newtown since 1989. We were in Sandy Hook for six years before moving to the Butterfield Road house in 1996. I grew up in Ridgefield, and graduated from Ridgefield High School. My family had moved to Connecticut from New Jersey, where I was born. Connecticut has a great topography and I like the change of seasons. Iâve traveled a lot and have seen the world, but this is still the best place to live.
Biggest Change You Have Seen in Town: Aside from growth and traffic, which everyone notices, I think the socioeconomic paradigm has changed. This is a different town since I moved here. There are more corporate types that commute long distances. We are now what Ridgefield was 20 years ago.
Newtown still has time to do it right, but itâs all about planning. We canât just look for short-term solutions. We have to set aside land for open space. And we must be sure that we get only the kind of development we want, in the places where we want it.
Family: My wife Melanie and I have three children. They are Sean, 14, a freshman at Newtown High School; Brendan, 12, a seventh grader at the Middle School; and Megan, 9, a fourth grader at Hawley School.
Pets: I donât have pets, but my kids do ââ a cat and 15 fish.
Hobbies: I am an outdoorsman. I love this area because there is so much to do ââ like running, biking, skiing, fishing. Iâm away a lot on business trips, so weekends and vacations are the times our family has fun together. When I was growing up, I was one of six children, and it seemed like we didnât have a lot of fun because there was always work to do. My goal is not to waste this time we have, but to plan activities and do them with my family. There are a lot of things we can do right here in Newtown. My daughter Megan caught a beautiful brown trout under the Pond Brook bridge.
Favorite Books and Authors: I read a lot ââ maybe two books at one time ââ and I often listen to books on tape while Iâm driving. If you read enough, itâs amazing what you can learn. I first got hooked on reading when I discovered Mysterious Island by Jules Verne. With boys, it seems to take a little longer. They have to read something that catches their interest.
Favorite TV Show: I watch Wake-Up Call on CNBC in the morning between 6 and 7 am, when Iâm on the treadmill. And I watch the UConn Huskies menâs basketball games religiously. They are ranked #1 this year, so weâll see what happens. The basketball program has helped that school tremendously. You can see the difference it has made on the campus.
Organizations: We are members of St Rose Church, where I have been on the finance committee for four years. I used to do Cub Scouts with Brandon.
Favorite Vacation Spot: We like to go to Manchester, Vt., where we have a house.
Personal Philosophy: I try to exercise every day for mental and physical health, and for the energy it creates. I donât ever want to stop, because itâs hard to get started again. I was glad to run a marathon in the Adirondacks this September around Schroon Lake. It was raining, but I finished and the family was there to support me along the route. That meant a lot.
I also like to listen to tapes while driving, or turn everything off and enjoy the silence. Thatâs when your mind talks to you and you get ideas. I believe in setting goals, and I try to do my best at everything but not be fanatical about it. I try to listen to people in my job and elsewhere ââ not always talk. And I try to have fun.