Codington County Elected Officials

Codington County Commissioner Biographies

Myron Johnson grew up on a dairy farm in Brookings Co. after graduating from White (Deubrook) H. S. he served four years in the U.S. Navy. He then returned to S.D. And completed his post-secondary education at LATC and SDSU. He worked at LATC for thirty-five years as director of the Agriculture Department and Business and Industry Training. He retired in June of 2008. Myron is married to his wife (Sue) they have two adult children and five grandchildren. Myron is completing his third four-year term and looking forward to serving another four-year term. In addition to his commission duties, he serves on the SD Retirement system as a trustee and several boards and committees Commission related Thank you for the opportunity to serve and for your continued support.

"Donald “Lee” Gabel, is in his third term as a county commissioner. As commissioner, Lee has focused on justice, public safety, efficiency and transparency. He leads the effort to cost-effectively fix the problems of aging justice facilities. Notably, he led the county’s effort which added a much-needed courtroom, security checkpoint and fire control sprinkler system, with no increase in taxes.  This allows continued public use of our historic courthouse for years to come.  Lee also works with the community to maximize appropriate alternatives to jail. He also initiated an ongoing statewide effort to make counties less dependent on property tax to fund infrastructure projects. In his third term, Lee is working to address the problems with our aging county jail to provide a safe and up-to-date facility to keep our community safe. Before being elected, he retired from the U.S. Army at the rank of colonel after over 27 years of military service. He currently assists the U.S. Army and NATO as a defense consultant. He and his wife, Anne, serve with the Association of Christian Conferences Teaching and Services; a non-profit military ministry. Gabel holds a BA degree, two Master’s Degrees, and the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification. His marriage in 1985 to his wife, Anne, established a permanent tie to Codington County. After retiring from the Army, he and his family settled in Watertown in 2012. Lee and Anne, have five children."

Troy VanDusen and his wife, Carol, are proud to call Codington County home. The VanDusen's have two daughters, Megan and Lauren. Megan is a paramedic in Sioux Falls and Lauren is a student at Lake Area Tech. Troy was first elected to the County Commission in 2012 and re-elected to his second term in 2019 representing District 4. He is the county liaison for the Highway Department, Director of Equalization County Treasurers Office and the Coroner. Troy has dedicated his life to public service, retiring from the Watertown Police Department after 24 years of service in 2019. After retiring he did a two-year stint as the News Director at KXLG Radio. In 2021, Troy returned to public service as the director of the Watertown Area Regional 911 Center where he oversees day-to-day operations within the center. Troy remains active in the community, serving on several different committees and boards both on the local and state level including the South Dakota Law Enforcement Standards and Training Commission. VanDusen holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business and is a graduate of the distinguished FBI National Academy in Quantico Virginia. In addition to his duties with 911, Troy also continues to patrol the streets of Watertown as the Reserve Police Chief. Troy, Carol, Lauren and Megan are all active members of the Holy Name of Jesus Parish in Watertown. VanDusen said, "I would like to thank you for allowing me to serve as your District 4 Commissioner.”

Randy Schweer was born and raised in Milbank, SD on his family's dairy farm. Shortly after graduating from high school, he began his career working at Watertown Holsteins. Twenty years later, Randy and Diane purchased the dairy operation in 2002 where they still reside and contribute to the agricultural industry. Randy and Diane raised five daughters and a son and are now proud grandparents of 7 grandchildren. Presently, Randy serves as a county commissioner. 

Register of Deeds Biography

Ann Rasmussen has been a resident of Watertown since 1971. She is a graduate of Watertown High School and also attended the University of South Dakota, the home of her birthplace. Her life has been blessed with two sons, Nathan and Jason. In July of 2009, Nathan’s life was cut short due to a tragic car accident. Ann relishes the time spent with Nathan's daughter, Sloan, who just turned 16. Jason and his wife, Shanna, and children Selah (5) and Sylas (1) live in Sioux Falls. Ann began working in the Register of Deeds Office in 1996. She was appointed as acting Register of Deeds in 2005. She was elected to her first term in 2006 and recently ran unopposed for her fifth term in 2022. "I am honored to have been elected as your Register of Deeds, and I would like to thank everybody for their support in allowing me to continue to let my experience work for you in the Register of Deeds Office.”

County Auditor Biography

Brenda Hanten was born in Clear Lake and grew up on a farm near Altamont.  She graduated from Clear Lake High School.  She previously served as the Deuel County Register of Deeds. She has seven children and seven grandchildren.  Brenda previously served twelve years as a Codington County Commissioner, three of which she served as the Chair. Brenda is serving her fourth year on the National Association of Counties Community, Economic and Workforce Development Policy Steering Committee, is Chair of the Planning and Zoning Board, Vice Chair of the Codington County Republican Party, Treasurer on the Community Transit of Watertown/Sisseton Inc. She is a board member on the LEPC Board, 911 Advisory Board, Interlakes Community Action Partnership Board, and attends the Watertown Government Affairs Board meetings. Brenda is a member of the Watertown Area Chamber of Commerce and Watertown Rotary Club. "I am truly enjoying serving as your Codington County Auditor and am honored to have been given this opportunity. Thank you for your continued support!”

District 4 House and Senate Biographies

Stephanie Sauder is in her first term in the House of Representatives for District 4. She serves on the Education, Ag/Natural Resources and Military/Veterans Affairs Committees. She will be a member of education-related committees in the interim. “I thoroughly enjoyed my first legislative session,” says Rep. Sauder. “Working as a team with the other citizen legislators and Governor Noem for District 4 and the state of South Dakota is a great honor.”  She and her husband Jerry live on their farm near Bryant and have two sons and one grandson. A fifth-generation South Dakota farmer, Stephanie was a K-12 educator for 30 years and former publisher and editor of the Bryant Dakotan newspaper. She served as mayor of Bryant and charter director of the Bryant Cinema Board in addition to several offices during her teaching career. Sauder is an ITC board member and a member of the Codington County Republican Women and Mothers of Peace Officers organizations. She and her family belong to New Hope Lutheran Church of rural Hayti where she serves as pianist/organist and is part of the WNALC. She is a community volunteer, including the Bryant Cinema, Parkview Assisted Living Auxiliary and part-time accompanist for the St. Dysmas choir at the SD State Penitentiary in Sioux Falls.

District 5 House and Senate Biographies

Codington County Sheriff Biography

Brad Howell, Codington County Sheriff is a lifelong resident of South Dakota, born and raised in Milbank. Following his graduation from the Alexandria Tech School, he began his career in law enforcement. Brad was hired by the Milbank Police department in 2002 as a police officer. In 2008, he was hired as a Deputy Sheriff for Codington County. In 2010 he was promoted to the position of Sergeant, he served in that capacity for 5 years. In 2015, Brad was promoted to Chief Deputy, and assisted with the daily operations of the Sheriff’s Office. He took office as the Codington County Sheriff on January 1st, 2017 and was elected to the Office of Sheriff in 2018. Brad serves on many local Boards and organizations, past board member on the Waverly-South Shore School Board, and Watertown Rotary and a Watertown Lions member. He also participates on the Watertown Boys and Girls Club board, LATI Advisory Board, the Northeast Tech HS advisory Board, appointed to the Council of Juvenile Services by Governor Noem and is also on the state JDAI Committee and many more. A favorite assignment is serving as a DARE instructor, to impact the youth of our community. He has instituted many new programs to the Sheriff’s Office to benefit the public, while striving to maintain fiscal responsibility and minimize taxpayer liability. “I am honored to serve the Citizens of Codington County as your Sheriff, and I am deeply committed to keeping our communities, families and property safe by providing the best, most professional law enforcement services possible at all times.” Brad also enjoys spending time with his family, wife Cheri and two daughters, Robin and Braden.

Codington County Attorney Biography