“This is kind of a people business,” Clark said. “I felt some things click when I did the first telephone interview. I felt very comfortable with the people I talked to and that’s what made the difference.”

John Franiuk recalled that first telephone interview, which had been postponed because of extenuating circumstances.

“Our car broke down as we were taking our daughter to school,” Clark said.

They took the car into a shop and were waiting to get a ride from the shop’s owner in the owner’s gold Jaguar when the unpredictable happened.

“Our daughter got in the car and somehow got the emergency brake off and the car rolled down and smacked into a truck.”

Tonganoxie mayor John Franiuk said that from the beginning, he was impressed with Clark’s professional demeanor.

“I thought he was very thoughtful in what he said to us,” Franiuk said.

Clark’s strengths include knowledge about municipal finances, Franiuk said.

“This will help us in tying in with the county’s comprehensive plan for transportation and with increasing needs for changes in wastewater management,” Franiuk said.

“I’m hoping Chris’ insight will be helpful in getting us set up with the county in the future,” Tonganoxie’s mayor said.

Clark, who most recently was assistant to the director of the town of Wellesley, Mass., said he had developed a solid knowledge of Massachusetts laws.

Now, one of the challenges of his new job will be to gain familiarity with Kansas laws.

“There is always a legal basis to any government operations and I’d like to have a good sense for that,” Clark said.

Franiuk said other challenges could include establishing park funds, as well as money for development of residential, commercial and industrial areas.

“I think that Chris, coming from the highly populated areas, has seen of these things that work,” Franiuk said.

Clark, 34, who has lived all his life in Massachusetts, said he realizes there typically is a balance between residents who don’t want to see growth and those who do.

“Growth is inevitable,” he said. “It’s something that has to be managed to the best of our abilities.”

It’s important, Clark said, for a community to maintain its residential character during periods of growth.

Clark said he and his wife, Stacey, who grew up near Salina, moved to Kansas to be closer to her family. They hope to purchase a house near Tonganoxie’s downtown area. The couple have two children, Mitchell, 6, and Morgan, 4. For the time being, they are staying at the Olathe home of Stacey’s mother.

“I’d like to live close to City Hall,” Clark said. “I don’t mind physical fitness I’ll walk to work.”

Clark, who grew up in Easton, Mass., holds a degree in political science from Bridgewater State College, Bridgewater, Mass., and a master’s degree in public administration from Suffolk University, Boston.