On January 27, Larry Rhoden was sworn in as the 34^th Governor of South Dakota. May 7 marks his 100^th day as our Governor. Though the time has passed quickly, the list of accomplishments is long and offers a preview of what we can expect from his leadership. 

On his second day in office, Governor Rhoden introduced a pillar of civility during his joint address to the South Dakota Legislature. In his first week, he successfully brokered a swift and uanimous confirmation of Lt. Governor Tony Venhuizen. He hosted daily press interactions for his first two weeks in office. He continued this pattern of civil discourse by meeting with legislators, taking daily walks through the House and Senate floors, and chairing meetings to draft a historic property tax reform bill. 

New South Dakota governors typically have at least a week of preparation and an inauguration behind them before the third floor is filled with legislators. In that regard, Governor Rhoden was weeks behind, but he was still able to pass a Governor’s bill and bring property tax reform to citizens that need it most. 

On his 49^th day in office, the two-week legislative recess began. Governor Rhoden could have hung his hat on a successful Legislative Session. He could have used the time to move through the rest of the transition details, prepare for an aggressive self-imposed timeline to move the men’s prison project forward, and quietly sign bills from his office. Instead, he added a new property tax relief proposal and launched his Open for Opportunity Tour. He did sign bills, of course, in between stops all over the state. 

After arriving back in Pierre on one of our first tour days, Governor Rhoden insisted on corralling us all together one more time before we jumped in our cars to go home. The reason? To thank us all for making the day possible and emphasize his opinion that we were doing a great job. 

In the final days leading up to this 100 day milestone, we delivered more wins for our state. Weeks of quiet work with the Trump Administration brought freedom to a South Dakota family, as Governor Rhoden joined U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and other leaders to announce that unfair charges against the Maude family had been dropped. That same week, the prison task force passed the first hurdle with a unanimous vote that we need a new prison. 

Without the opportunities that Secretary Noem created while serving as Governor, and without the team they built together, the first 100 days of the Rhoden Administration would have looked much different. Many of the same faces gather around the table at our regular staff meetings, and we share a similar meeting agenda as before. Another smiliarity with the previous administration: a Governor with the energy and conviction for a 24-7 job! 

Governor Rhoden fully understands what it takes to be successful. From where I sit as Chief of Staff, I know every accomplishment from day one to 99 took the effort of multiple team members doing their job exceptionally well. For Governor Rhoden, teamwork goes beyond the names in the Governor’s Office roster. He embraces God, his wife Sandy, his family, state legislators, media professionals, tribal and community leaders, and many more in the work to keep South Dakota strong, safe, and free. 

If the next 365 days are anything like the last 100, we are all in for a real treat. 

Mackenzie Decker serves as Chief of Staff for Governor Larry Rhoden.