Three candidates and one certified write-in candidate have filed to run for four open seats on Bethel City Council this year.
Ahead of the Oct. 7 election, KYUK has been airing interviews with each of the candidates.
Teresa Keller has served on the Bethel City Council since October 2023, and is running for reelection this year.
Keller spoke with KYUK’s Evan Erickson about her candidacy on KYUK’s morning show, "Coffee at KYUK," on Sept. 25.
The following transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.
KYUK (Evan Erickson): Can you introduce yourself and kind of tell us who you are and what occupies your time here in Bethel?
Teresa Keller: Yeah, thanks for having me. My name is Teresa Keller. I've been a member of the Bethel community since 2005. My husband's from Bethel, and we had met here, and so we we take care of our family. I go to work, part of the council now, so that takes up some time, not too much, but it does take up some time, but primarily just spend time with family and work.
KYUK: And did you want to mention what you do for work?
Keller: I work at Malone Insurance Agency.
KYUK: You run the whole show there?
Keller: I do. I'm the owner of the insurance agency here in town. I've been a part of it since [2005]. It's been a part of Bethel since 1983, and I took over in 2019.
KYUK: And what would you say your favorite thing about Bethel is?
Keller: I was raised on military bases, and I really like that close knit community. So for me, Bethel ... I mean, it's, it's large, and we're the largest hub out here, but it's such a small community, and the people are so close, and you know, that's a really beautiful thing. And I want my kids to be raised feeling like their whole community is part of them, and that's what I find is really special about Bethel.
KYUK: So why are you running for city council, and is there a particular issue you want to highlight in this campaign?
Keller: I don't know. I don't think so. I'm running for city council again. I feel like the first two years is all kind of a learning curve, getting familiar with everything that happens. And I'm running for reelection on the council this year. Because, again, you know, Bethel is my home. It's where I'm raising my kids. I want them to live in a community that's safe for them, and I feel like being on council gives me a way where I can make decisions that are going to impact Bethel's future, and I want to be a part of that.
KYUK: When it comes to public safety, is there a particular issue that's at the forefront for you?
Keller: No, there's not a particular issue that's at the forefront for me. Again, I want Bethel to be safe for everyone. I want every part of Bethel to be safe. So that could be the boardwalk, which they've done a lot of work [on] too, and I appreciate that, because we're on the boardwalk all the time and it's nice to see that it's no longer this dangerous place to be. You might fall into a hole over here. So I love that that's been taken care of this year, and the city worked really hard for that.
I'd like to see more engagement with the police officers, just the city of Bethel. I think a lot of people have their own minds made about certain things, because just what they've seen or what they've heard, and I think that if we get out there more and let them know that they're welcome and it's okay to call and ask for help, and the police officers are here for us, I think that would really help our community and kind of getting that understanding out there. Because I think a lot of people are afraid of certain things, and they don't want to ask for help, or they don't want to be featured on certain things, which is that whole conversation about the that TV show that wanted to come out here. You know, a lot of people were concerned with that, and I think that was a valid concern. We don't want anybody to be ostracized and have their faces on on TV, especially when they're they're experiencing their worst. So I think that as a community we all just need to kind of get together and recognize that these police officers are here for us, and the city is here for us, and we just need to ask for the help.
KYUK: So you obviously are coming up on two years as a city council member. What other experience do you have in public service, whether it's municipal boards or committees or anything that would be this type of voluntary public service role?
Keller: The city council is pretty much where I have that experience now. I am part of the community. I have my own business in the community. I do support a lot of the nonprofits out here, but I've never been in this position until I was on council, so I don't have a lot other than just the last two years.
KYUK: In the coming years, what do you think is the biggest issue facing the city?
Keller: The biggest issue facing the city, I think, in the coming years, would just obviously be infrastructure, between our roads, our pipes, I mean, I live in [Housing Subdivision]. We have a lot of shut off water notices. It's kind of frustrating, right? But, and they're old pipes, you can tell that they're old pipes. There's a lot of issues with these pipes. And then our roads. I know our roads are a constant issue out here, but I think we have a really great team right now that's going to help make the decisions to get these things taken care of, but it has to be understood that it's not a snap your finger thing. It can't happen that fast, and it needs to be planned, and that takes time and resources.
KYUK: And that ties into the next question. What do you think the city council has been doing well in recent years?
Keller: So again, I think the city manager, the team, our current administration that we have right now, has done a lot of great things, especially taking care of the pressing issues with our roads and even with our water. And they really have done a lot for us.
KYUK: If you had to say, what could the city council improve on?
Keller: I mean, I know things that I can improve on. I don't want to speak for everybody on council, but I think we all do a pretty good job at working together. It hasn't been a very, hasn't been very busy for us. A lot of things have been taken care of by our current city manager, and it just, there's not been a lot of things that are brought to our attention or that we brought. But I think going forward, hopefully, we have more things brought to our attention that we could bring to the council and take care of.
KYUK: And if you do win another two years on council, if you can picture to yourself two years from now, at the end of this next term, what accomplishments or progress on projects would make you feel like you'd succeeded in your position?
Keller: It's hard to say, because ... I feel like we've done so much already as a council, but it's so hard to see it all right in front of your face. But I would hope to see more plans for our roads. I would hope to see a lot of that, because everybody's concerned about that. We're swerving off the roads. It's damaging our vehicles. It's putting everybody that's walking on the sides of the roads at risk. So I would definitely like to see more being done about our roads, and that's, I think that's probably one of the most important things that I want to see. And then just recreation. I think it's incredible what we're doing with our fitness center, and we're expanding that. I think Bethel needs more things to do and more places to do it in.
KYUK: Anything else that we should know about you and your run for reelection to the city council that you want to mention?
Keller: I don't think there's anything that I think is worth mentioning. I mean, I'm doing this because I'm part of the community, and I want to see our community grow, and I want to see it better for the future. That's why I'm rerunning. But I don't think there's anything that I need to, anything more that I need to say on that.
