Charles E. Berman |

Berman said his greatest interest is helping residents and taxpayers "really understand the very confusing tax system," including how to obtain all the exemptions they're legally entitled to, and comprehend a "very complicated grievance system." Berman said his office receives more than 25,000 calls and service requests annually. "What we do every single day is help our taxpayers," Berman said. If re-elected, he wants to continue to be an advocate for fairness in the tax assessment system in Nassau County.

Berman, 59, of Roslyn Heights, is running for re-election on the Democratic, Independence, Women's Equality and Working Families lines. He was appointed in January 2010 and won a yearlong term in November of 2010. He was re-elected in November of 2011 to a full four-year term. Originally from North Carolina, he graduated from Lawrence High School in 1973 and received a history degree from SUNY Albany in 1977. After college, he started a copying business that he later sold. He joined his father in the family insurance business, Berman Agency Inc., where he worked until 1999. In 2000, he became the deputy clerk of the Town of Oyster Bay. In 2003, he served as the receiver of taxes in North Hempstead until leaving for the Nassau County Board of Assessors in 2004. In 2009, he became the director of the county's Assessment Assistance Division. He is active at Roslyn-based Temple Sinai, which he has served as president. He is married with three children.