Oyster Bay Town Clerk Martha S. Offerman, the Democratic incumbent to the position, is being challenged by Republican Steven L. Labriola, currently assemblyman of the 12th Assembly District.

Offerman was the first Democrat elected for two terms to the office of town clerk in the Town of Oyster Bay. She noted that during this time, she has brought much needed two-party government to that office. When she first ran for office four years ago, one of her main goals was to make the town clerk's office more accessible to residents. Once in office, one of Offerman's first accomplishments was offering evening hours two nights a month in town halls north and south. She also arranged for marriage licenses and passports to be available at the Massapequa office (residents were previously required to obtain them from the Oyster Bay facility) and has performed over 250 marriages during her tenure. In addition, she was responsible for having the town code be available to residents online. Offerman also began to assist in computerizing the town clerk's office in an effort to make it technologically up-to-date.

Offerman's other accomplishments include increasing the overall income of the town clerk's office and getting senior train station parking permits significantly reduced. If re-elected, she hopes to extend office hours even more and continue to improve the clerk's office.

Offerman attended Paul D. Schreiber High School and upon graduation entered CW Post. In 1978, she graduated from Adelphi University's Para-Legal program. She is also licensed for real estate, health insurance and life insurance sales. She has been a businesswoman for many years and previously owned and operated a ski lodge and a marina and restaurant. Her last position was as Chief Operating Officer of Astoria Coatings, a paint and sundries distributor. She has been active in politics throughout her career and she ran for the New York State Senate in 1990. She is a member of Friends of the Bay and is on the Board of Directors of the Nassau County American Civil Liberties Union.

Offerman is president of the Nassau/Suffolk Town Clerk's Association, and is a member of the Chamber of Commerce of Massapequa, Chamber of Commerce of Syosset, Chamber of Commerce of Plainview-Old Bethpage and the Chamber of Commerce of Hicksville. She is also a member of the Residents for a More Beautiful Syosset and the Coalition to Save Hempstead Harbor. She continues to work closely with the Locust Valley Civic Association, Northwest Civic Association of Hicksville, Oyster Bay Civic Association, the Shoreville Park Civic Association, and the Locust Valley Neighborhood Watch Association.

Offerman, born and raised in Port Washington, lives in Bayville with her husband Stephen Offerman, formerly of Old Westbury. Their family includes three children, five stepchildren and over a dozen grandchildren.

Labriola, assemblyman of the 12th Assembly District since 1996, said he chose to run for town clerk because he was ready for a change and this new position would grant him new opportunities and experiences, in addition to more time to spend with his family.

Labriola, who would become an administrator rather than lawmaker if elected, said one of his top priorities would be making affordable housing a reality for town residents. He also said that he believes his relationships with Supervisor John Venditto and town board members would help in getting things done. Labriola was responsible for researching and crafting Oyster Bay's "Golden Age Zone," a program that provides affordable housing for seniors in the town.

Prior to his election to the State Assembly, Labriola served as an aide to Congressman Norman Lent and later as director of operations for the Town of Oyster Bay, in which position he computerized operations and improved systems, procedures and equipment that resulted in increased operating efficiency. He is well-known in his home community of Massapequa for taking an active role in local civic, fraternal and small business groups.

Labriola has a master's degree in government, politics and public administration from St. John's University. He worked as director of operations for the Town of Oyster Bay before his election to the Assembly six years ago. He said he looks forward to the possibility of becoming town clerk and believes the relationships he has established over the past 20 years he's been involved in government will certainly be beneficial in getting the job done.

Labriola, a lifelong resident of the Town of Oyster Bay, is involved in a variety of community organizations, including the Order of the Sons of Italy in America, the Kiwanis Club, Knights of Pythias, Knights of Columbus and the Crown Village Civic Association. In addition, he is involved with the Nassau County Big Brothers/Big Sisters Program and the Nassau County Traffic Safety Board. Labriola was born and raised in Massapequa Park. He is a current resident of Massapequa, where he lives with his wife and children. If he is elected to the town clerk's position, the 12th Assembly District seat will be filled by a special election.

Responsibilities of the town clerk include maintaining all town records and recording vital statistics. The town clerk is the custodian of all the records, books and papers of the town. The clerk must also attend meetings of the town board and keep a complete and accurate record of the proceedings of each meeting and public hearing. The clerk also acts as the filing officer of the town and issues many licenses and permits. He or she also acts as records officer, license commissioner, registrar and marriage officer in the town.