 Ronald Ulysses " Ron " Swanson is a fictional character portrayed by Nick Offerman from the situation comedy television series Parks and Recreation on NBC , created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur . In the series , Ron is the director of the Parks and Recreation department of fictional Pawnee , Indiana , and the immediate superior of series protagonist Leslie Knope ( Amy Poehler ) until Knope 's election to the Pawnee City Council at the end of Season 4 . In demeanor , political philosophy and work ethic , Knope and Swanson are very nearly polar opposites : where Knope is sunny and outgoing , decidedly liberal and constantly working , Swanson is distant , and as a staunch libertarian , is a strong advocate for small government — stating his belief that government should be privatized — and therefore believes that the parks department should not even exist . 
