Daniel Zuckerman is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media Republican Ed Bloomer and Democrat Lee Palmateer will face off in a November special election to choose who will represent Athens on the Greene County Legislature. The seat was formerly held by Gene Hatton. Hatton died Aug. 23 of a massive heart attack. The winner will serve the remainder of Hatton's term, until Dec. 31, 2018. Bloomer is a lifelong Athens resident. The Athens Republican Committee selected Bloomer as its candidate based on his volunteer work with the Coxsackie-Athens Rotary Club and the Athens Community Food Pantry, GOP Chairman John Farrell said. Bloomer has also served on the town’s zoning and planning boards. Democrat Palmateer has a history of public service as town supervisor from 2010 to 2013, and as a member of the Coxsackie-Athens Board of Education. Palmateer said his background in law and engineering will be beneficial to him as a lawmaker because he can take underlying facts and then analyze them. Palmateer is also an Athens native. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.