Residents will be voting for three candidates; Oyster Bay Town Councilmembers are elected at large.

Jay Cherlin, a Democrat, is a candidate for the Town of Oyster Bay Board.

Cherlin is a Health Care Administrator who has worked to improve the quality of care and quality of life for those residents and patients his facilities and programs have served. He has assisted with the startup of such new health care facilities as Schneider Children's Hospital, several Long Island Nursing and Rehabilitation facilities and the only two Continuing Care Retirement Communities on Long Island.

Cherlin states that he has 25 years of experience with human resources, regulation compliance, contract negotiation, purchasing, financial management, quality assurance and the Federal and State Rules and Regulations as they pertain to the health and safety for the residents of the Town of Oyster Bay.

Jay Cherlin has been the chairman for legislative affairs and secretary to the executive board of county and state organizations representing proprietary, voluntary and governmental health care facilities. He is currently the executive director of a successful not-for-profit assisted living facility in New York City, as well as vice president of the Long Island Coalition for a National Health Plan and an adjunct professor for the Medical Administration Program at Monroe College.

Cherlin received his master's degree in health care administration from C.W. Post College, his bachelor's degree in health care and economics from Brooklyn College and a Graduate Certification of Law from Adelphi University. He is also a New York State licensed nursing home administrator. Cherlin resides in Massapequa with his wife and children.

"We need balanced and responsible town government," Cherlin said. "One party rule has stifled debate and creativity. Problems are addressed not with discussion to find the best solutions, but with the sole opinion of the town supervisor who tells the council members how to vote. There are real problems in this town. Our property taxes are too high and the cost of running the Town of Oyster Bay is too costly. A study has shown that more is spent per capita to run this town than any other town in New York State. Where does this money go? Why are we blocked from finding the answers?

"To preserve our way of life, we need to increase our tax base to reduce our individual tax burden," he continued. "This means attracting new businesses to our town. We need jobs that pay a livable wage. We need housing that is affordable, both for our seniors so they can remain on Long Island and for our sons and daughters so they can afford to buy homes here. We need health insurance for every worker and resident. This will decrease the bankruptcies that come with a medical catastrophe. We need to reduce the Medicaid budget, which is the primary consumer of our tax dollars. We need also to reduce the usage of our hospitals' emergency rooms and give us all peace of mind."

Incumbent Councilman Chris Coschignano, a Republican, was elected by the residents of the Town of Oyster Bay in 2001 to serve on the board. He said he ran for office to get involved with a great administration that was already in place, but also to be independent and get things done for the people of the Town of Oyster Bay, with a focus on Syosset and areas on the north shore. That is now the reason he is running for re-election as well - to continue what he has been doing over the last four years, he said.

"It has been a lot of hard work, but very interesting and very rewarding," said Coschignano. "I like answering to the residents. I worked with a lot of good community leaders and good residents to accomplish some good things."

Coschignano currently serves as Chairman of the Syosset Hamlet Revitalization Committee. "I am proud of the hamlet plan, that is not finalized, but moving along," said Coschignano. "It is a great project that we are going to start in other towns as well."

In 1995, he was appointed by the Town of Oyster Bay Town Board to serve as counsel to the zoning board of appeals to oversee the operations and exclusively handle all municipal litigation involving the zoning board of appeals. He served in this position until elected in 2001. Coschignano has also been appointed by the Supreme Court of the State of New York to serve as a court-appointed receiver and referee on a variety of matters.

Coschignano has represented such distinguished clientele as the United States of America, the Justice Department of the United States of America, The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the Metropolitan Suburban Bus Authority, the Town of Oyster Bay, and other municipal, public and private organizations.

Coschignano also presently serves as an executive committeeperson on the Nassau County Republican Committee, representing the North Syosset-Woodbury area, since having been elected to this position in 2003.

Coschignano said that environmental issues and land preservation are very important to him. "Preserving property has given me great satisfaction - knowing that the land is going to be preserved for years is a great feeling," he said.

Keeping seniors and the younger generation in the town is very important to Coschignano as well. "People who grew up here can't afford to live here so we came up with next generation housing and have well over 1,000 senior units in the town," he said.

Coschignano, in his private business career, has also been engaged in the general practice of law since 1990, and his emphasis has been in the areas of Real Estate, Land Use and Zoning; Municipal Defense and Personal Injury Defense Litigation; Business, Corporate and Commercial Law; Trusts and Estates; and Matrimonial and Family Law.

Coschignano, who is running on the Republican, Independence, Conservative and Working Families lines, received his undergraduate bachelor of science degree in business management from St. John's University in 1985 and his juris doctorate degree from Touro College School of Law in 1990. He is a life-long resident of the Town of Oyster Bay and lives with his wife, Elisabetta, daughter, Isabella and son Angelo, in Syosset. He is a member of the Knights of Columbus, the Sons of Italy, the Syosset Chamber of Commerce, Syosset Rotary, the Oyster Bay Chamber of Commerce, the Residents for a More Beautiful Syosset, the North Syosset Civic Association and attends religious services at St. Edward The Confessor Roman Catholic Church.

"There is a lot more to do," said Coschignano. "If I am doing what I am supposed to be doing, then vote for me. If I am not, then I don't belong in office."

Edmund Dane, Democratic candidate for Town of Oyster Bay Board, said he decided to run for election because he felt strongly about issues within the town and wants to make the town of Oyster Bay an even better place to live.

Dane is an attorney with an office in Queens. He received his Bachelor of Arts in political science and communications from Queens College in 1978 and graduated from Brooklyn Law School in 1981. He has been a resident of the Syosset/Woodbury area for 21 years.

Dane is a managing partner for the law offices of Dane & Dane. He is the legal counsel to the Syosset Baseball Association, an arbitrator for New York City small claims court, a former arbitrator for New York City Civil Court and a presiding judge for the New York Law School Moot Court competition.

He is also a member of the NYS Trial Lawyers Association, a member of the Nassau County Bar Association and a member of the Queens Bar Association.

Dane's community service résumé includes being a Democratic party committeeman and a member of the Democratic Party Judicial Screening committee. He is also the vice president of the North Shore Synagogue and the vice president of the Brotherhood of the Synagogue.

Dane has been a commissioner and manager of the Syosset Baseball Association and active in the Syosset Youth Athletic Council. He is also a board member at large for the B'nai B'rith Youth Organization. He is a widower and has two children, Bari and Zachary.

One of the issues that prompted Dane to run was the lack of facilities at Stillwell Fields in Syosset and his view that the town has been neglecting the area. "When you look at Burns Park in Massapequa, it is a state-of-the-art field for residents of Massapequa. They have Astroturf and the town board recently voted for an irrigation system," said Dane. "We have Stillwell Park that still lacks bathroom facilities. The Syosset baseball and soccer have been promised for five years that this would be resolved and it still has not been. I don't understand why thousands of children and their families need to be on a field for hours at a time with no bathroom facilities. There is no excuse for this."

Another issue that Dane would like to focus on is the lack of code enforcement on illegal housing. "I understand the need of homeowners to have a second apartment. However, the rest of us are paying for vital services without contribution from people who are making money on this illegal housing," said Dane. "We are becoming Queens. We need to collect the tax dollars from people who are benefiting financially for not paying taxes. This could ease the tax load on the rest of us or alternatively provide additional services. "

Dane said he is concerned that local seniors and the younger generation will not be able to afford to live in the town and said that more affordable housing is needed. "Our kids and seniors are being compelled, due to taxes and high cost of housing, to leave the town and the county," he said. "Our younger generation and our seniors have lived in this town for years and they deserve the opportunity to continue to live here after they graduate from school or retire. We need to afford more S-2 housing for them."

Dane said that the north shore needs more representation on the town board and he hopes to represent that area. "The north shore of Long Island is being neglected and ignored," he said.

Incumbent Oyster Bay Town Councilman Angelo Delligatti said he has compiled a solid record of achievements in town government. He served as a councilman from 1985 to 1987 before winning election as town supervisor in 1987 and 1989 and then as town councilman in 1993. He is running on the Republican, Conservative and Working Families party lines.

During his tenure as town supervisor, Delligatti initiated the town's award-winning SORT recycling program and STOP program for the disposal of hazardous substances used in and around the home. "One of the accomplishments that I am most proud of is implementing the SORT program," said Delligatti. "The program has done very well over the years and at that time we were not recycling in any significant way."

Delligatti also implemented one of the most aggressive tree planting and tree replacement programs, which has earned a "Tree City USA" designation for many years from the National Arbor Day Foundation.

Citing himself as a fiscal conservative, Delligatti believes that efficient management of government can produce quality public services at lower costs. He said that during his tenure as supervisor, he held the line on the general town tax and reduced the garbage shipping tax and as a councilman, he has helped bring in budgets that have either cut taxes or held the line while reducing spending.

Delligatti said that the issues facing the town don't change dramatically from year to year. "The issues are always quality of life issues and about taxes and the budget, which go hand-in-hand," said Delligatti. "These issues always affect the town board's thinking."

Delligatti served on the Town of Oyster Bay Youth Board and was a coach for the Massapequa Soccer Club and the St. Rose of Lima C.Y.O. basketball program, as well as a manager for the Massapequa Coast Little League. He is also involved in the Columbus Lodge, Order Sons of Italy in America and is the advocate of Our Lady of the Island Council, Knights of Columbus. He has received numerous awards for his outstanding professional, governmental and community service including the Nassau County Police Department PBA Citation, the Distinguished Service Award from the American Committee on Italian Migration and the "Man of the Year" award from the Columbian Police Association of Nassau County.

A graduate of St. Lawrence University and St. John's Law School, Delligatti served as an Assistant Nassau County District Attorney, Massapequa Park Village prosecutor and director of Legislative Affairs for Oyster Bay. He has been in the private practice of law for 20 years. His professional affiliations include the New York State Bar Association, the National District Attorney's Association, the Columbian Lawyer's Association and the Former Assistant District Attorney Association of Nassau County.

Delligatti has resided in the Massapequas for more than 40 years. He and his wife, Mary, are the parents of two sons.

"I have spent 18 years serving on the town board either as a councilman or supervisor. I think the experience that I have gained over that time and the knowledge that I have of the town, its neighborhoods, its people, its residents and the issues that face them make me very well qualified to do this job," said Delligatti. "I have devoted a good portion of my professional life to serving the town of Oyster Bay. I have lived in the town virtually all of my life. I am very proud of this town and I think that my commitment to the town along with my experience makes me very qualified to continue in the position."

Political newcomer Elizabeth Faughnan is making her first run for public office on the Republican, Conservative and Independence party lines for Town of Oyster Bay council.

A resident of Locust Valley, Faughnan is an attorney who specializes in real estate and corporate law. She serves as Deputy Village prosecutor for the Village of North Hills and is also involved in a number of civic, service and environmental organizations, including the North Shore Rotary Club, of which she is a founding member, Planting Fields Foundation, Friends of the Bay and the Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians.

She also serves as a member of the Town of Oyster Bay Landmarks Preservation Commission, which reviews and recommends applications for Town landmark designation.

"Although the commission does not landmark properties, we make recommendations to the town board for certain properties to be or not to be landmarked," said Faughnan. "Through the landmarks commission, I have been able to learn about the rich history of the town, even more than I already knew, and this is a great learning experience. I have been learning about different parts of the Town of Oyster Bay."

A main goal of Faughnan's, if elected, is to be accessible to the residents. "Unless people live in an incorporated village, the town is the closest level of government to them," said Faughnan. "It really takes care of the quality of life issues including zoning, plowing, cleaning the streets, collecting the garbage - all of the things that affect everyday life. I want to make sure that the residents understand that the town is working with them to improve all of those issues everyday and to maintain the quality that is already there."

Faughnan said that maintaining the facilities for the younger residents of the town is important to her. "It was great that the town acquired the Field of Dreams to put in more soccer fields," she said. "That is the type of thing that I would like to see the town continue to do - to develop and maintain facilities for our children to play on."

Also, Faughnan said that the town needs to maintain the level of services that it provides for seniors. "The community and senior centers that the town has put in are great," she said. "I think we could develop them in additional areas in the town and maintain the ones that are already in place."

Faughnan, who obtained her undergraduate and law degree from St. John's University in Queens, was recently named one of the "40 under 40: Class of 2005" by the Long Island Business News.

"I don't expect things to be handed to me," she said. "I expect to put in and get involved. I have always been involved. I am the youngest member of the town's Republican ticket. I bring a different perspective, one that is not already there - a generation that is concerned about their parents being able to stay in their homes and the communities that they helped build and that is one of the reasons that we do enjoy such a quality of life. That same generation is also squeezed because they are trying to raise their own children so they can enjoy what they did. You are sandwiched between the two. I can represent that and speak on those issues and be mindful of those concerns."

"I don't necessarily see myself as an object of great change, but to maintain the quality of life that is there and improve it," said Faughnan. "Given the opportunity I would love to become more involved in the town that I grew up in."

Incumbent Mary McCaffery, a resident of Bethpage, was first elected to the Town of Oyster Bay board in 2001. The councilwoman said she brings to her position, "insights and perspectives [I] have learned from [my] years of experience working in the nonprofit sector...volunteer activities and raising a family."

Asked why she should be re-elected, McCaffery said: "As the only Democrat on the town board, I have had to carve out a role for myself as there is very little communication between me and the other members of the board.

"That said, my staff and I place a high priority on responding to all constituent requests for information and forward complaints to the appropriate department," she continued. "In addition, I developed a constituent concerns card providing voters with an opportunity to prioritize the problems in the Town of Oyster Bay. The self-addressed card also had space for the constituent to write a comment or list a grievance. We delivered over 15,000 of these cards and personally answered the hundreds of responses."

As for other achievements, McCaffery lists the formation of the speaker's bureau, "Town Issues & Timely Topics," one that she said is available to organizations and groups throughout the town. "I would speak about a relevant town issue," McCaffery said, describing the program. "One of my guest speakers would follow. They speak on topics such as identity theft, prescription drug expenses, asset management, elder law, and Medicare. There is no charge for any of these speakers."

McCaffery also noted her role in the establishment of a Wall of Honor in the foyer in Town Hall to give recognition to local veterans. "I also organized various groups to put together gift packages which we sent overseas," she said.

Among her other accomplishments, Ms. McCaffery listed:

• Mobilized a number of high school students to participate in the Coats for Kids program three years in a row.

• Supported the Next Generation Housing initiative to encourage developers to build affordable housing for our young people.

• Worked with the seniors in the TOB senior housing development to remedy common problems.

"On a personal note, I worked with Congressman Peter King to have the Bethpage Post Office dedicated to the memory of Chief Brian Hickey, FDNY who was killed in the World Trade Center disaster," McCaffery said.

When asked what the biggest issues facing TOB residents and voters were, McCaffery said, "that according to constituent mail, they are: taxes, housing for seniors and young people and illegal apartments."

"I voted against any budget that contained a tax increase and I voted against any expenditure that I considered unnecessary of excessive," she said. "I supported the Next Generation Housing and have attended many conferences on housing sponsored by the LI Housing Partnership, the LIA and other nonprofit organizations seeking to partner with the government to increase the number of affordable units.

"Illegal apartments present a very difficult problem because of the lack of affordable housing on Long Island," she continued. "Safety is a major concern plus the issue of landlords paying their fair share or taxes."

McCaffery is a graduate of both Boston College and the New School of Social Research in New York City. She has worked with the Guide Dog Foundation at Abilities, Inc. in Albertson and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. Councilwoman McCaffery and her husband, Jack have been married for 42 years. They have six grown children and 16 grandchildren.