Stephen Swanson was appointed as Madison County Attorney in December 2024 by the Madison County Board of Supervisors to fill a vacancy. At the time of the appointment, Swanson was residing in Polk County. He then moved to Winterset before being sworn in. He is currently a 2026 primary candidate for County Attorney in Madison County.
Swanson’s legal career has included both public prosecution and private practice. According to a 2024 resume, he began his prosecutorial career as an assistant county attorney in Palo Alto County before moving to the Wapello County Attorney’s Office in 2010.
Court records show that during his tenure in Wapello County, Swanson received several warnings for failing to satisfactorily resolve cases. Then County Attorney Lisa Holl issued a written reprimand in 2012 and suspended Swanson for one week without pay in 2014. In 2015, County Attorney Gary Oldenburger emailed Swanson regarding his failure to resolve cases within one year and later issued a four-page letter of reprimand, followed by a second email.
When the case-resolution problems continued the following year, Oldenburger gave Swanson a choice: resign or be terminated. Oldenburger prepared a notice of termination summarizing prior disciplinary actions and continued difficulties with case resolution that led to dismissals for failure to prosecute. The notice was signed and dated November 28, 2016. Swanson resigned instead, effective December 23, 2016.
After leaving Wapello County, Swanson entered private practice in Polk County.
In 2018, Swanson ran for Boone County Attorney. During the campaign, a Des Moines Register article citing employment records reported missed court deadlines and noted that Swanson resigned in lieu of termination.
Swanson later filed a lawsuit arising from the release of records during his 2018 campaign for Boone County Attorney. The suit alleged violations of Iowa’s open records law, defamation, blacklisting, and conspiracy, and named Gary Oldenburger, Wapello County, and the Boone County Democratic Party as defendants.
In 2021, a district court granted summary judgment for the defendants, concluding the claims did not present sufficient legal grounds to proceed to trial. The remaining open-records claim was voluntarily dismissed in September 2021.
In 2022, the Iowa Court of Appeals affirmed dismissal of the blacklisting and defamation claims. The court wrote that:
“There is no evidence on which to base a finding that Oldenburger or Wapello County intended to injure Swanson in order to deny him future employment—only speculation and conjecture.”
(Swanson v. Oldenburger, No. 21-1176, Iowa Court of Appeals, 2022)
Details regarding Swanson’s issues in Wapello County and the subsequent lawsuit are outlined in greater detail in the Swanson v. Oldenburger court opinion cited above.
What follows is a timeline outlining Swanson’s legal career and related events.
2007 – 2010
Assistant County Attorney
Palo Alto County, Iowa
• First prosecutorial role following law school
• Began county-level prosecution work
2010 – 2016
Assistant County Attorney
Wapello County, Iowa
• Criminal and juvenile prosecution duties
• 2012 written reprimand
• 2014 suspension without pay
• 2015 formal reprimand for case management and performance issues
• November 2016: records indicate Swanson was presented with the option to resign or face termination
• December 23, 2016: resigned from position
2017 – 2020
Associate Attorney
Lamberti, Gocke & Luetje, P.C. (Ankeny, Iowa)
• Civil litigation and general practice
2018
Campaign for Boone County Attorney
• Ran against incumbent Daniel Kolacia
• During the campaign, employment records from Wapello County were released
• A Des Moines Register article reported missed court deadlines and resignation in lieu of termination
• November 2018: lost Boone County Attorney election
2018 – 2022
Civil Litigation Related to Release of Records
• August 2018: lawsuit filed against Gary Oldenburger and Wapello County alleging violations of Iowa open records law, defamation, blacklisting, and conspiracy involving the Boone County Democratic Party
• Late 2018: claims involving the Boone County Democratic Party dismissed; case transferred to Des Moines County (change of venue)
• 2021: district court grants summary judgment for defendants
• September 2021: remaining open-records claim voluntarily dismissed
• September 2022: Iowa Court of Appeals affirms dismissal of blacklisting and defamation claims
2020 – 2024
Owner / Attorney
Swanson Law, PLC (Ankeny, Iowa)
• Private legal practice
• Client representation and casework
Dec. 2024 – Present
County Attorney (Appointed)
Madison County, Iowa
The Madison Report reported previously on Swanson’s job application for Madison County Attorney. That article can be found here: Swanson Arrested in Texas in 2020; Misdemeanor Not Disclosed
A profile of Ryan Benn, Swanson’s opponent in the Madison County Attorney race, will be published in a future article.
