Occupation: I'm the director of planning for Newtown. I've been in this position as director for eight years. I've been working with the town for 12 years. My background ins environmental biology. That's why we do a lot of water quality work in Newtown.

Family: My wife, Helen, is a business consultant. We'll have been married for 25 years on May 25. Our daughter, Sara, graduated from Newtown High School and went to the University of North Carolina. She is now at the University of Rhode Island getting her master's in marine environmental affairs.

Pets: We have a parakeet, named Blue. He is a blue parakeet, actually. I'm allergic to everything else.

How long have you lived in Newtown? We have been here for 23 years.

What do you like to do in your free time? I read a lot of history books. It's what I do to forget everything else. I've recently gotten very interested in genealogy and have been researching my family. It's difficult, because they came from Sweden, and the last names used to come from the father - like Benson was Bentson, and his father's name was Bent; and his father was Erikson, because his father was Erik. It's pretty interesting. I started the Connecticut Federation of Lakes about 20 year ago, and just retired from the board. I have started playing golf. I'm not good at it, so it's still fun.

Do you have a favorite book? I read biographies, mostly. Right now, I'm reading about John Quincy Adams.

Do you have a favorite travel destination? We have a summer home in Rhode Island, so we like to go there. Helen was born in Italy and has a lot of family there, so we go to Italy often. I like the beaches of the Caribbean; any beach, anywhere would be okay.

What is the best thing about Newtown? The people. Everybody's concerned. They really pick up on things. If you need a volunteer, you can get someone to help. People respect others' opinions. People here are more engaged than in other towns, which is good.

Who has been the greatest influence in your life? My mother - she was back to the basics and core values of respect for others and listening to people. She passed away when I was young, but she gave me that basis to start from. I've had a lot of help over the years, from a lot of people.

If you could spend a day with anyone, who would you choose? Teddy Roosevelt. He was multifaceted. He had a lot of different interests and he got things done. He's an interesting man.

Do you have a guilty pleasure? Taking some time to be at the ocean, I guess. I like to be outside.