Bert Keller
Republican | Texas
Candidate Profile
Conservative (Conditional)
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Bert Keller
Party
Republican
Election Year
2022
Election
Primary
Race
State Rep., Dist. 133
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
University of Texas, Austin, BS Petroleum Engineering
Brookside College, Cambridge, England, Background In Liberal Art
Lee High School, Houston, Diploma
WORK & MILITARY
Candidate did not provide
AFFILIATIONS
Mustang District Sam Houston Council of the Boy Scouts, Vice Chairman, "C" Club
President (2012), "C" Club Political Affairs Committee, Chairman
Harris County Republican Party Finance Committee, Chairman, Downtown Houston Kiwanis Club
Member, Greater Houston Pachyderm Club, Member
Harris County Republican Party, Senate District Convention Delegate, Republican Party of Texas
State Republican Convention Delegate, Magic Circle Republican Club, Member
Memorial West Republican Women, Member
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
Houston City Council Member, District G, 2000-2004
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
Candidate did not provide
ENDORSEMENTS
REPORTED BY CANDIDATE (3)
Conservative Republicans of Texas
Texas Conservative Review
NRA AQ Rated
OTHER INFORMATION
Candidate completed the Abolish Abortion Texas Candidate Survey source
QUESTIONNAIRE
RIGHT TO LIFE
Under what circumstances should abortion be allowed?
Rape, incest and LIFE of the mother
Abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, should not receive funds from federal, state, or local governments (including Title X grants).
Strongly Agree
I support 'aid in dying' laws which legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia.
Strongly Disagree
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
Individuals and businesses should be required to provide services even if it would violate their moral and/or religious beliefs.
Strongly Disagree
Under what circumstances can government close churches?
The only reason to close a church would be if they are engaged in dangerous illegal behavior.
NATIONAL SECURITY
What should the United States do to help eradicate the threat of Islamic terrorism?
Enforce current laws; increase efforts to shut down illegal immigration, including measure to secure the border
I support the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement to pressure Israel to withdraw from occupied territories, remove the separation barrier in the West Bank, allow full equality for Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel, and promote the rights of Palestinian refugees.
Strongly Disagree
HEALTHCARE
What most closely matches your view on healthcare: A) Healthcare for all should be guaranteed and funded by the government with no private healthcare option. (includes "universal healthcare," "medicare for all," etc.) B) Healthcare insurance funded by the government should be available for all who want it, along with private healthcare options. C) Medicaid and Medicare should remain available, but no other taxpayer-funded programs are necessary. D)Tax-payer funded health care should be abolished in all forms, and Medicaid and Medicare should be de-funded.
C
Under what circumstances (if any) should a government, school, or employer be allowed to require vaccinations?
None
ECONOMY
What changes, if any, should be made to the tax code?
The Federal income tax code is not a state legislative issue. At the state level, I support reducing the property tax burdens.
What government spending would you reduce in order to balance the budget?
The Texas state budget, the one on which I would vote as a state representative, is required to be balanced each biennium. Spending cuts to achieve a balanced budget is generally speaking a federal issue.
Taxpayer-funded public education should be guaranteed through college.
Strongly Disagree
K-12 education should be publicly funded. College education should be the responsibility of the student and family.
IMMIGRATION
The U.S. should do more to physically secure the southern border.
Strongly Agree
I believe that securing our border should be at the top of our public priorities. This is an area where I have first-hand experience when I was appointed by Governor Rick Perry to his Homeland Security Task Force following the attacks of 9/11
Who should be allowed to immigrate to the U.S. and under what circumstances?
I believe in legal immigration at levels that do not threaten current citizens. Priority should be given to family of current US citizens and workers with skills needed to strengthen the US economy.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE & PUBLIC SAFETY
Police officers should be personally immune from prosecution for conduct consistent with departmental policy (qualified immunity) while on duty.
Strongly Agree
I fully support police both against frivolous prosecution and lawsuits and will work to ensure that public safety is fully funded.
I support redirecting funds from police departments to mental health and community programs.
Strongly Disagree
Police funds should be dedicated to public safety and distinctly separate from other programs.
2ND AMENDMENT
What restrictions on gun ownership are needed to protect public safety?
No further restrictions. I strongly support the Second Amendment and have an AQ rating (the highest a non-incumbent can receive) from the National Rifle Association.
Victims of gun violence should be able to sue firearms dealers and manufacturers.
Strongly Disagree
ABOUT YOU
What do you think is the general purpose of government?
I am a Constitutional conservative and believe in limited government and states' rights granted under the 10th Amendment. I believe in fiscal responsibility, the rule of law and trust the free market over the heavy hand of government. The general purpose of government is to protect its citizens, such as providing for the common defense, securing the border, etc. Government should protect its citizens and provide services that are impractical for citizens to provide on their own, such as transportation, flood mitigation, etc. I support privatization of services that can be performed more efficiently and cost effectively by the private sector.
When you consider your views on a wide range of issues from economic and social matters to foreign policy and religious liberty, which of the following best describes you overall?
Very Conservative
Please provide publicly available information, including interviews and media reports, validating your answer to the previous question (other than your website).
The Houston Chronicle Editorial Board in an OP-ED entitled, "CONTRACTING RULES: High time for policy to rein in shoddy contracting work" said the following about my actions on Houston City Council, "Freshman Houston City Councilman Bert Keller, who is heading up a subcommittee of council's Transportation, Technology and Infrastructure Committee, is trying to inject some needed common sense into how the city deals with contracting jobs that sometimes end up costing more than taxpayers bargained for. Keller, a developer by profession, and his subcommittee have come up with a plan to avoid unnecessary change orders, those requests to council for more money to complete public work by outside contractors due to underbidding on original proposals, unforeseen circumstances once a job gets under way or poorly written job specifications. To weed out poor-performing contractors, Keller would maintain a list of architect and engineering firms whose projects for the city have required numerous or overly costly change orders. Keller would also push the city to refuse to pay for faulty work by contractors who make the black list. That makes sense. The city should not continue to hire firms that have shown they are prone to doing shoddy work."
Have you ever been convicted of a felony or been penalized in either civil or criminal court for sexual misconduct? If so, please explain.
No
What else would you like voters to know about you, including your legislative priorities?
I am a 57-year resident of HD133. I have voted in every election since registering to vote at age 18. I am a business owner with expertise in real estate, construction. I have 15 years experience in commercial power distribution, so I have expertise regarding the power grid and issues impacting its reliability. I served two terms on Houston City Council, where I led efforts to oppose sexually-oriented business, crack down on waste, fraud and abuse in city contracting and implemented over $300 million in streets and drainage projects in District G, where HD133 is almost entirely contained. I also chaired the City of Houston Contracting Procedures Committee where I championed and passed a “Deadbeat Taxpayer” ordinance that prohibits individuals with unpaid taxes from being awarded a city contract. I also helped draft and pass an ordinance banning contractors from doing business with the City if the contractor was found to be negligent either in performance or excessive change orders. Following the attacks of 9/11, I was appointed by Governor Rick Perry to develop the region’s First Responder Plan as Chairman of Governor Perry’s Homeland Security Task Force. I left City Council in 2004, but I never left the district or public service. I continued to be involved with public policy issues in areas of interest and expertise, such as transportation, flooding and infrastructure, generally. I was appointed by Houston Mayor Annise Parker and County Judge Emmett to Chair the Gulf Coast Rail District where I served as a voting member on the Houston-Galveston Area Council Transportation Policy Council. Following my two terms on City Council, Keller I continued to be an outspoken leader on drainage issues and was subsequently appointed by Houston City Council as a Commissioner on the Rebuild Houston Oversight Committee, where I was an outspoken voice for an anti-tax constituency. My interest and experience with infrastructure led me to accept a position handling special projects for Harris County Commissioner Tom Ramsey, following his election in 2020. I believe there is no other candidate in this race that has the breadth and depth of experience that I have to tackle the infrastructure issues of transportation, flooding and power grid reliability. My legislative priorities are border security, flood mitigation, improving transportation, improving reliability of the power grid, property tax reduction, criminal justice reform and economic development.
VALUES
Judeo-Christian values established a framework of morality which is necessary for our system of limited government.
Strongly Agree
I support adding gender identity as a specially protected class in non-discrimination laws.
Strongly Disagree
I agree with Critical Race Theory (CRT) which asserts that the institutions in the United States are fundamentally racist.
Strongly Disagree
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
Along with my wife, Laura, and our three children, Sanders, London and Berkeley, I am an active member of St. Cecilia Catholic Parish and my values reflect my religious faith. I am pro-life, pro-family and pro-faith, regardless of denomination. I respect the rights of people of differing faiths to exercise their beliefs without government interference as guaranteed by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.
ELECTIONS AND VOTING
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Strongly Disagree
What laws would you propose to change present voting practices?
Any laws necessary to increase election integrity, including harsher penalties for election fraud.
EQUALITY
Is racism a threat to domestic security in the United States? Why or why not?
Race-based terrorism (riots, looting, etc) by ethnically centered organizations is a threat to domestic security,
Reparations should be given to people on the basis of race.
Strongly Disagree
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
Which comes closest to your view? A) Stricter environmental laws and regulations cost too many jobs and hurt the economy. B) Stricter environmental laws and regulations are worth the cost.
A
I support the use of hydraulic fracking to extract oil and natural gas resources.
Strongly Agree
As an executive in the commercial power distribution sector, I understand the need for energy independence and support fracking and other processes to reduce/eliminate dependence on foreign sources.
