Residency scrutiny shadows resignation of freshman lawmaker

Rep. Chris Reder giving up seat in South Dakota House after winning office last fall

An Aberdeen-area politician in office for less than a year doesn’t plan to return to the state Capitol.

And though state Rep. Chris Reder’s decision to step down as a South Dakota lawmaker — publicly announced Thursday — follows speculation that the 52-year-old is no longer a resident of the territory he was elected to represent last year, the first-term Republican maintains that’s not the impetus for his resignation from his District 1 House seat.

“There are many factors that went into this decision. I talked to many people and it has been a very thought-out process for what's best in many areas, both personally and professionally,” Reder said in a text when asked if the decision is a result of a veterans support organization Reder founded relocating its operations from a ranch near Warner — where he’s also registered to vote — to another property north of Aberdeen that is in legislative District 3.

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