James Amenta, a Phoenicia resident with 18 years of federal experience at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), was appointed deputy county executive of Ulster County by County Executive Jen Metzger on April 21.
Amenta replaces Johanna Contreras, who is departing April 25 to join Congressman Pat Ryan’s office. Most recently a program manager at HUD overseeing $1 to $2 billion in annual grants, Amenta now turns his focus to local issues—chief among them, housing affordability.James Amenta was recently appointed deputy county executive of Ulster County by County Executive Jen Metzger.
Amenta lives on a small farm with his wife and two children in Phoenicia. His interest in agriculture began with a passion for community gardens, which helped inspire his move upstate. In his new role, he hopes to focus on lowering housing costs and strengthening local communities.
The Overlook spoke with Amenta about his path into public service, what drew him to Ulster County, and why he believes housing affordability is central to nearly every issue facing the region.
What previous work have you done in the Hudson Valley?
Amenta: Working through my job is how I got really connected to the Hudson Valley. The first thing I was assigned to do was work in the City of Newburgh. For about three years, I spent one or two days a week there, usually in city hall, engaging with any issues that the federal government could work on. It was a really interesting way of moving into the federal government while getting to learn about the Hudson Valley.
I have been with HUD for about ten years. Most of what we do is housing construction and community development—which includes infrastructure, community centers, and programming—and then homelessness work. Those are the three broad areas I worked in, from Albany to Suffolk County.
What made you want to work in Ulster County?
Amenta: For my directional shift to Ulster County, a lot of it came from the desire to work at the local level. Usually, local officials are the ones making decisions, and working at that level was something I always wanted to do. When the opportunity arose, I had to say yes.
The idea that I could be more directly providing service—more on the ground, providing benefit to people’s lives—was just too good to pass up. Ulster County itself is incredibly progressive in how much attention it gives to the issues I care about, particularly housing. A lot of the initiatives Jen Metzger has put in place are models that other counties are adopting—some even nationally. There are really cool things going on here.
What was your dream job when you were a kid, and does it have any overlap now?
Amenta: I always say I’m a bit of a generalist—I liked a lot of stuff. When I was an undergrad, I changed majors five times because I found so many things really interesting. But at the end of the day, I always knew I wanted to help people. I wanted to make sure my job made people’s lives a little bit better. As far as what my dream job was, I had a different job every few months.
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Amenta: Housing is the problem at the core of so many other symptoms. The high cost of housing—people having to put so much of every dollar they make into their housing costs—is so impactful to everything else in their day-to-day lives. My goal in taking this job is to work on that problem. I think we can be very impactful.
I’ve been living in Phoenicia since 2018, and I’ve seen so many people who were born in Phoenicia or in the town of Shandaken priced out of their place—whether it’s a rental or a home they can no longer afford because of a life change. They end up on someone’s couch, then move to Kingston, or Poughkeepsie, or New York City. The reality is, the likelihood that we get that community member back is incredibly low. The high price of housing is the problem. I really want to fix it.
Olivia Sippel is a contributing reporter. Send correspondence to reporting@theoverlooknews.com.