Marty Kelly is the incumbent Goodhue County Sheriff. He was elected in 2018 after serving as a Red Wing Police Officer for 30 years. Kelly is a Goodhue County native, growing up on a small Dairy farm near Welch, before moving to Red Wing. He received his Bachelor in Law Enforcement at Mankato State University in 1988 and started with the City of Red Wing Police Department in 1989. He did run unsuccessfully for sheriff in 2010. Kelly has been married to his high school sweetheart, Mary, for 32 years and they have five children and two grandchildren. He has also volunteered as a youth football coach for twenty years and is an adult leader with the Vasa 4-H club.
Kelly has served as School Resource Officer, Investigator, Field Training Officer, Field Training Supervisor, Bike Patrol Officer, Bike Patrol Supervisor, member of the Goodhue County SWAT Team, Crisis Negotiator and a First Aid instructor. Marty was also the Medical Examiner Investigator for Goodhue and Dakota Counties from 2005 until 2013. During that time, he investigated deaths throughout both counties, worked closely with the Sheriff’s Department and built relationships with neighboring agencies.
The sheriff brings thirty-four years of experience in every aspect of law enforcement and knows the job and what to ask of the staff. In 2020 he was instrumental in placing a community engagement coordinator, through the help of a grant, to facilitate law enforcement and citizen interaction. Some of their activities have includes coffee with officers, home security sessions and exposing fraud directed at senior citizens.
Kelly has worked with the budgeting process to save nearly $2 million of tax payer dollars. He has added a second narcotics officer and promoted the D.A.R.E. program in Pine Island and Zumbrota schools. He has also supported the Minnesota Teen Challenge and the Drug Court to help rehabilitate those with substance abuse problems.
Josh Hanson is the challenger for the 2022 Goodhue County Sheriff position. Hanson is a 1999 Red Wing High School graduate and joined the United States Army where he became a Ranger and was deployed to Afghanistan in 2001.
Hanson attended Alexandria Technical College for a law enforcement degree and became a part-time office for the city of Goodhue in 2005, before being promoted to Police Chief. In 2007 he joined the Minnesota Army National Guard and was deployed to Iraq during 2010-11.
Josh was hired by the city of Kenyon in 2007 and became a patrol deputy for Goodhue County in 2009. In 2015 he was promoted to Patrol Sergeant and Commander of the Emergency Response Team in 2016. He was named Goodhue County Sheriff Department Employee of the year in 2018 and promoted to Patrol Captain in 2019. In 2021 Hanson became the Emergency Management Director.
Josh Hanson is married to BreAnna, who is also a Goodhue County Deputy Sheriff officer. They have two children.
Josh would like to focus on training and readiness of the department in areas including physical fitness, mental health and wellness. He is alarmed at the societal trend of attacks on law enforcement and compromising their effectiveness and safety. He promises to stand strong and support the department and community as sheriff. “My goal is keeping my family, neighbors, and fellow citizens safe, secure, and preserving the peaceful way of life here,” Josh states.
