A self-described public safety professional who said his career has been devoted to serving the residents of Northampton County has declared his candidacy for the vacant magisterial district judge’s seat in Hellertown and Lower Saucon Township.
Robert Mateff
Robert F. Mateff Sr. Monday announced his candidacy for district judge in District 03-2-04, becoming the second local man to do so in as many days (Hellertown attorney James Hill was the first to publicly declare his intention to run). Mateff’s announcement Monday was followed by one from David Repyneck, a Lower Saucon Township resident and 2015 candidate for the district judgeship.
Mateff, a life-long resident of Hellertown and Lower Saucon Township, is a summa cum laude graduate of DeSales University with a degree in criminal justice, according to a news release.
“Having started his career with the Hellertown Borough Police Department as a dispatcher, he has served for more than 25 years as a public safety professional in Northampton County and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,” it said. “Mateff has held various positions in Northampton County. After graduating with honors from the Sheriff’s Academy, he served as a Deputy Sheriff, participating on the Emergency Response Team, and served as a Firearms and Chemical Aerosol Spray Instructor. As a Deputy Sheriff, Mateff was responsible for executing civil judgments and criminal arrests. He then helped to establish the first 911 center in Northampton County, overseeing the consolidation of multiple independent answering points and the conversion from a private to public center.”
In 2015, Mateff was appointed by Governor Tom Wolf to oversee Pennsylvania’s transition to Next Generation 911.
He is currently working as a public safety consultant.
“I have spent my career ensuring the public has equal access to emergency services and providing for the safety of the residents of this community,” Mateff said. “I see service as a District Judge as a continuation of ensuring the public’s safety.”
Mateff has served as Chairman of the Northeast Pennsylvania Counterterrorism Taskforce and President of the Keystone Emergency Management Association.
He is a Certified Emergency Manager through the International Association of Emergency Managers, is an Emergency Number Professional through the National Emergency Number Association and holds a certification in Preparedness Leadership through the University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Public Health.
Mateff said he has served the community in various roles, including as president of Hellertown-Lower Saucon Little League, and was a youth baseball and basketball coach.
“He is active with his local church and service groups, including the Boy Scouts, the Ancient Order of the Hibernians, the Knights of Columbus and was a member of the Hellertown Civil Service Commission,” the news release said.
He has also been a volunteer with the former Leithsville Fire Company and was a Captain of the Dewey Fire Company Ambulance Squad.
“I would like the opportunity to restore dignity to this position in Hellertown and Lower Saucon and look forward to the opportunity to continue to serve the public as a district judge,” said Mateff, who is the father of two boys, Robert Jr. and Kevin, and resides in Hellertown.
