He served in the Peace Corps in Colombia, South America, and worked as a social worker and for the youth program in Albany.

Long-time Mayor Erastus Corning 2nd appointed him to lead the Albany County office of CETA Job Corps from 1971 to 1984.

McEneny has a degree in history, worked for over a decade as Albany County Historian, and remains involved in issues of archiving historical documents.

The following year, Jennings supported the race of Albany County Legislator Gary Domalewicz in a primary election against McEneny.

[12] He was re-elected for a ninth term in November 2008,[citation needed] and a tenth in 2010, soundly defeating a "Tea Party" challenger.

[13] McEneny has been criticized for collecting a pension in addition to his pay for being an Assembly member, but he defended it as legal and fair, based on his age of 66.