MITCHELL, SD (Mitchell Now) — Fifty year Mitchell resident, businessman, and community servant Terry Sabers today announced his candidacy for the South Dakota House of Representatives, District 20, citing a lifetime of service and a deep desire to ensure South Dakota remains a place where his children and grandchildren can build their futures.
Born in 1955 at St. Joseph Hospital in Mitchell and raised on a farm west of Salem, Sabers learned early the values that still guide him today: faith, family, hard work, and service to others. Those values led him to Mitchell Vo-Tech, now Mitchell Technical College, where he earned a degree in Accounting and Business Management, an experience that shaped his lifelong advocacy for technical education and workforce development.
“I’m running because I want my kids and grandkids to have the same opportunities I had right here in South Dakota,” Sabers said. “I want them to be able to build careers, start businesses, raise families, and succeed not because they had to leave the state, but because South Dakota’s leadership and policies made it possible to stay and be successful here.”
Sabers spent 45 years at Muth Electric, starting part-time while attending technical school and ultimately serving as Co-President before retiring in 2019. During that time, the company grew from approximately 10 employees to more than 400 across 10 locations, providing stable, good-paying jobs to South Dakota families.
He has also helped start several small businesses, an entrepreneurship training program, managed assisted living facilities, and founded the non-profit Mitchell Area Housing Inc. in 2022 to address workforce housing needs in Mitchell. His work has always centered on one principle: strong communities begin with opportunity and accountability.
“Good policy matters,” Sabers said. “When government stays focused on fiscal responsibility, local control, and common sense, families and businesses can thrive.”
Sabers has devoted decades to serving Mitchell, District 20, and South Dakota through extensive volunteer and civic leadership, including:
Youth, Civic & Service Organizations
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Boy Scouts of America: Scoutmaster, Troop 72 (10 years); 25 years more as volunteer and President, Sioux Council – Boy Scouts
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Jaycees Organization — Mitchell President up to SD Jaycees State President
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Mitchell Rotary — 15 year Current member
Education & Workforce Development
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South Dakota Board of Education — (2008-2016) appointed by Governor Mike Rounds)
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South Dakota Board of Technical Education — Original board member; Secretary
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Build Dakota Scholarship Board
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Mitchell Technical College Foundation Board — Current member
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Holy Family School Board — Long-term member
Faith-Based Service
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Holy Family Church — Volunteer & Properties
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St. John Paul II School — Volunteer
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Knights of Columbus – Life member and Treasurer
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Sioux Falls Diocese — Bishop’s Pastoral Council member
Local Government & Economic Development
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Mitchell Airport Board — 12 years of service
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Mitchell Area Development Corporation — Multiple leadership roles, including President
Community & Nonprofit Leadership
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United Way of Mitchell: Board member (12 years), Campaign Chair, President
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Mitchell Area Housing Inc. — 2022 Founder & President
Throughout his life, Sabers has been guided by his Catholic faith and a belief that leadership means serving others, especially the next generation.
As a Republican candidate, Sabers is focused on protecting the South Dakota way of life, supporting families, strengthening technical and workforce education, respecting taxpayers, and ensuring young people have real opportunities to stay and succeed here.
“For too long, too many young people feel they have to leave to get ahead,” Sabers said. “I want South Dakota to remain a place where our sons and daughters and our grandchildren choose to stay because the opportunities are here. We must slow the Brain Drain that occurs when young people leave SD for a perceived advancement”
Terry has been married to his wife Deb for 50 years. They have two sons, Eric and Blake, both raising their families in Mitchell, and Terry and Deb are proud grandparents to five grandchildren.
“Everything I do comes back to family,” Sabers said. “I want to make sure South Dakota remains strong not just for us today, but for the generations coming behind us. That’s a tradition worth protecting.”
Sabers is running for the South Dakota House of Representatives to bring steady, conservative leadership, grounded in real-world experience and a lifetime of service, to Pierre, focused not on politics, but on people.
For more information or to get involved, contact the campaign at
www.terrysabers4SD.com
terry@sabers4SD.com