Family: I have five daughters and one son — my daughters are all grown up and back in LA — and I have four grandchildren, also in LA.

Pet: One dog, Abby.

How long have you lived in Newtown? We moved here in September 2022, to Sandy Hook. In March of this year, we closed escrow on the house in Newtown.

Work: I’ve done real estate management and construction since 1986. I still have my own company in Los Angeles, but it’s a very minimal amount of properties right now. I just changed jobs here. I’m now working in the area for Westford Real Estate Management. It’s not a job for the faint of heart — nobody ever calls and says, “Steve, I want to thank you. My lights worked all week, the bathroom’s good, the A/C worked. Whenever someone calls you it’s because an owner or a tenant needs something taken care of.” — but it’s a fun job because you’re not behind a desk all day and you get to meet and talk with a lot of people. You get to listen to a lot of people share their stories. Everybody’s got their stories, and it’s fun to listen to their stories.

What did you want to be when you grew up? I wanted to work for the State Department, but then after college I went to law school for a couple years. I tried to work my way and pay for myself through law school, but it was too tough a grind. I’d worked with my father since I was 8 years old, in an auto repair facility, and when he retired I really wanted to take over his business. He wasn’t jovial about that idea though, so from there I got into property management.

Are you a member of any clubs, organizations and/or communities of faith? I was involved with Scouts, including Cub Scouts, when we lived in LA. I was my son’s Den leader from the time he started Scouts there. When he transitioned to Boy Scouts I was his Scoutmaster for a few months, before we moved here. I work with Troop 270 now — he’s in that Troop, and I help them as an Assistant Scoutmaster.

We also visit Chabad Ridgefield for holidays and different services during the year, and we’re involved with Aspetuck Rugby League.

If you could spend the day with one person, living or deceased, who would you choose and why? Ronald Reagan. I’m a politics junkie so I’d like to meet him, and Clinton, and Agnew. Ronald Reagan though, he was such a phenomenon, going from an actor, to the governor, to the President. He had such a commanding persona as President. That was just remarkable. His Presidential Library is where we used to live, so we used to go there.

What was the most recent movie you saw in the theater? Deadpool & Wolverine.

Favorite actor? If I have to pick one, I’d say Rock Hudson. He was so nice. I got to meet him a few times, working in LA, and he’d talk to me like he knew me his whole life.

Pet peeves? People that don’t say what they mean. Your word is everything, and you have to stand by your word.

Favorite color? Blue

Favorite food? Mexican

What is something you cannot live without? My son.

What is your favorite thing about Newtown? I like the small town feeling. It reminds me of growing up in Big Bear. It’s a lot like it — the weather, the trees, the roads, the people. The people are nice, they’re friendly, they’ll stop and talk with you.

Is there something you would like to see ‘The Newtown Bee’ cover, or cover further? I like the way you cover youth sports. It’s really nice for them. We had a paper in LA that did that. Those kids devote a lot of their time to it, and it’s nice to see them get the recognition for it. I like that you spotlight an athlete each week, the local politics, the calendar of events — it’s really nice, the Scouts. I think I would like to see exposés on our local representatives, so people can get to know them better. Being new to the area, it’d be nice to know more about them. One of the papers near us where we used to live, they used to do a lot of highlights like that.

Do you have a personal credo? No matter how old you are, there’s still a kid in you. Remember to have fun.