Oneida County appoints new county attorney and commissioner of personnel

UTICA, N.Y. — Oneida County Executive Anthony J. Picente, Jr. has announced the appointment of Amanda Cortese-Kolasz as county attorney and Chuck Klein as commissioner of personnel.

Both began in their new roles on Jan. 17.

Cortese-Kolasz joined the county in 2011, serving as deputy county attorney-administration, assistant county attorney, and most recently as commissioner of personnel since September 2021, the county said in a news release. She has served as lead counsel for labor and employment issues for the county and Mohawk Valley Community College, as counsel for Griffiss International Airport, handled administrative and contractual matters for all departments of county government, and litigated several civil and family-law matters.

Before joining the Oneida County Law Department, she was in private practice, concentrating primarily in matrimonial and family law. Cortese-Kolasz began her career at the Hiscock Legal Aid society.

In her new role as Oneida County attorney, Cortese-Kolasz replaces Peter Rayhill, who served nine years as county attorney before being elected to state Supreme Court this past November.

Klein joined Oneida County as manager of network services in 2018, was promoted to deputy director in 2019, and became director of information technology.

During his tenure in IT, Klein modernized infrastructure by upgrading and replacing obsolete hardware and software, streamlined the helpdesk operation, and created departmental service levels to enhance customer service. He also expanded shared-services initiatives by providing IT services to the city of Sherrill, towns of Verona and Marshall, and village of Verona.

Before joining Oneida County, Klein spent 24 years in the student-loan industry for Xerox, holding various leadership roles including director of information technology for education services. He holds an associate degree in computer information systems from Mohawk Valley Community College.

Oneida County Purchasing Director Alfred Barbato will oversee the IT department until the county finds a permanent replacement for Klein.

“Amanda Cortese-Kolasz and Chuck Klein have served integral roles in Oneida County government for years and have been essential to its successful operation,” Picente said in the release. “Amanda’s legal expertise, management, and negotiating skills have helped guide us through challenging times, and Chuck has been indispensable in increasing the efficiency of our workflow, improving our customer service, and securing our processes. I am certain they will excel in their new positions and continue to take this government to new heights.”