Daniel Zuckerman reports for Columbia-Greene Media that Lee Palmateer gets sworn in as a new legislator at the Jan. 2 Greene County Legislature organizational meeting. Palmateer, 55, will be on the legislature for at least one year, filling the remainder of Gene Hatton’s legislative term, which expires Dec. 31, 2018. Hatton died of a heart attack Aug. 22, with his wife Mary serving in his place until Dec. 31. In November Palmateer, a Democrat, beat Republican Ed Bloomer by 21 votes. Palmateer was the Athens town supervisor from 2010-13, will be on the county resources, economic development and tourism, county services and health services committees of the legislature. What to do with the Greene County Jail is the legislature's biggest issue this year -- they could do anything from spending more on a new facility than any other project in the county's history, or split costs with Columbia County. “I haven’t formulated a concrete position and I don’t think anybody has because there’s options still on the table,” he said. “I’m still considering all the options like everybody else.” But he does seem to have a position on sharing a jail with Columbia County. “Once we are without a jail and we are negotiating with another sister government, we will have zero bargaining leverage,” Palmateer said. Republicans now have an 8-6 majority on the legislature. Read the full story at HudsonValley360.com.