Background:
Chayes, 66, of Smithtown, is seeking his first term as town clerk and is running in a GOP primary. He has the Independence Party line in the general election. He is serving his first term as chairman of the town planning board. A retired Suffolk County legislative aide, Chayes graduated from Salem College with a bachelor’s degree in political science in 1974. He is married and has two children.

Issues:
Chayes said that, if elected, he would bring to the clerk’s office the same approach he has used on the planning board: “Would I want that in my neighborhood? Is it good for the town?” Part of his mission, he said, would be to support the current supervisor’s “tightfisted budget policies.” Chayes also pledged, if elected, that he would hold no outside jobs.

Background:
Puleo, 63, of Nesconset, is seeking his fourth term as town clerk. He is running in a GOP primary and has the Conservative Party line in the general election. He is also a six-term commissioner in the Nesconset Fire District and runs a property management business in St. James. Puleo earned an associate degree in general studies from Suffolk County Community College. He is married and has three stepchildren.