Patricia Doxsey is reporting for the Daily Freeman Ulster County voters go to the polls April 30, to elect the county's second-ever elected executive. They will choose between Democrat Pat Ryan, a relative newcomer to politics, and Conservative Jack Hayes, a former county legislator and Gardiner town supervisor. The winner will service through the end of 2019. Both are expected to run in the November general election to serve a four-year term that begins January 1. The former executive, Democrat Michael Hein, resigned in February to become the commissioner of the state Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance. Since his departure, Hein's chief of staff Adele Reiter has been serving as acting county executive. Ryan and Hayes are both from the town of Gardiner, and both men have military service in their background. Hayes, 76, is a retired state trooper and U.S. Navy Veteran. He served as town of Gardiner supervisor in 2002 and 2003 and an Ulster County legislator in 2010 and 2011. He lost his 2011 re-election bid for the Legislature and in 2016 he was unsuccessful in his bid to unseat state Democrat Assembly member Kevin Cahill. Ryan, 37, is a West Point graduate and a former U.S. Army captain who served two tours in Iraq and is the founder of a technology company that employed 150 people. Ryan, who has never held elected office. In 2017, he was one of seven Democrats to compete in the 19th Congressional District primary. Ryan placed second in that race, behind Antonio Delgado. The polls will be open 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., Tuesday. The winner of the special election will assume office as soon as the election results are certified by the Ulster County Board of Elections. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.