Via Community News Service, a University of Vermont journalism internship, for the White River Valley Herald
RANDOLPH – About 10 years ago, Emery Mattheis hiked the Long Trail with some friends. The Indiana native was living in North Carolina, where he had attended Warren Wilson College. While on the trail through the Green Mountains, he fell in love with Vermont and decided he wanted to move. He applied to Vermont Law School, and moved to the White River Valley in 2017.
This March, Mattheis was elected to Randolph’s selectboard. He hopes that his passion for public service and commitment to community will allow him to make a difference in Randolph.
Mattheis graduated law school in 2020 and has since held various positions in state and local government. He worked as the assistant zoning administrator and assistant to the town manager. He is also one of 12 justices of the peace in Randolph.
“I fell in love with public service,” Mattheis said.
In 2021, Joyce Mazzucco was preparing to retire from her position as Randolph’s town clerk after 22 years. She brought Mattheis on as assistant town clerk in the months leading up to Town Meeting Day, hoping to set him up as her successor.
“He expressed a desire to learn,” Mazzucco said about Mattheis. “I felt it was a good opportunity for him and he was readily available to start training.”
Mattheis ran unopposed in 2021 and was elected town clerk and town treasurer.
After serving a three-year term as town clerk, Mattheis stepped down in 2024. He and his wife were expecting their first child and he wanted to focus on being a parent. He also began working as committee assistant for the Vermont Senate Judiciary. Now a father of two, Mattheis is making a return to town government.
At Town Meeting in March, Mattheis was elected to a three-year term on the Randolph Selectboard with a vote of 480 to 460.
Helping people and interacting with the community are some of the reasons Mattheis wanted to run for the position.
“I really want to bring a new approach to the selectboard,” Mattheis said, “I want to make it more community-driven.”
Mattheis wants to increase the frequency of selectboard meetings from once a month to twice a month. He hopes that this would speed up progress and create more opportunity for local residents to attend the meetings.
Mattheis also wants the town to fix the Kimball Library roof, which has been leaking for over a decade. Funding to repair the building’s roof has been a controversial issue at previous selectboard meetings. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.
In addition, Mattheis said that he would like to see a mental health professional such as a social worker brought in to help local law enforcement. He said that it would take pressure off the police, and benefit Randolph residents.
Mattheis still enjoys hiking and exploring Vermont, and he and his family are working on visiting all the towns and cities in the state to become members of the 251 Club.
Mattheis believes that Randolph could benefit from creating safer spots for recreation such as biking. Having a biking trail and a hostel for the cyclists would make Randolph a “hub,” according to Mattheis.
“It would make Randolph an amazing destination,” he added.
In his spare time, Mattheis likes to play chess. He is also a new member of the pick-up soccer league in Randolph.
Mattheis also volunteers with the Sunrise Rotary group who are working on Rosalind’s Garden – an area of Randolph that resident Rosalind Burgess has been caring for for over a decade.
Concerned about the housing crisis that plagues Vermont, Mattheis would like to see the state legislature change the amount of tax that second home owners pay, as a large portion of the time the houses are sitting vacant.
Bethany Silloway was also elected to the Randolph Selectboard in March. She is serving a two-year term. Unlike Mattheis, Silloway grew up in Randolph. Still, they share some priorities.
“I’m committed to the town because I grew up here,” Silloway said. “What’s most important to me is keeping this town affordable for all.”
Silloway and Mattheis started their terms on the selectboard on March 16. The board met three times in the first week, according to Mattheis.
“There’s still a lot more to do,” he said. “It is a lot of work and I am wishing that we could make more progress faster.”