Willy Keppel
Registered Republican · AK
Willy Keppel is a retired Quinhagak game guide and Army veteran who once served on the Bethel City Council and hosted a political radio show. He focuses on a large PFD, spending caps, term limits, a subsistence priority for rural residents, and opposing the Donlin Mine.
Where Willy Keppel stands, based on their records
Supports
Environment and Public Health (2 records), Government Efficiency (2 records), Government Spending Reduction (6 records)
Track record
Track record — Environment and Public Health
Environment and Public Health · 2 support
Publicly opposed the proposed Donlin Gold mine on the Kuskokwim River, an issue he has argued on regional radio for close to 30 years.
October 31, 2024Supports Environment and Public Health
Source: kyuk.org
Published a letter in The Delta Discovery on September 9, 2022, calling for changes to Alaska's 1959 mining laws. He called for a protected state fund to pay for monitoring and cleanup at large open-pit mines such as Donlin.
September 9, 2022Supports Environment and Public Health
Source: deltadiscovery.com
Track record — Government Efficiency
Government Efficiency · 2 support
Published a letter in The Delta Discovery on July 21, 2026, attacking state spending in Juneau. He called for term limits, moving the Legislature to the Railbelt, and an independent office to find unspent state agency money.
July 21, 2026Supports Government Efficiency
Source: deltadiscovery.com
Published a letter in The Delta Discovery on August 19, 2025, criticizing the Legislature's special-session override of Gov. Dunleavy's veto of school funding. He blamed the teachers union and backed cutting Alaska's 54 school districts to 30.
August 19, 2025Supports Government Efficiency
Source: deltadiscovery.com
Track record — Government Spending Reduction
Government Spending Reduction · 6 support
Published a letter in The Delta Discovery on July 21, 2026, attacking state spending in Juneau. He called for term limits, moving the Legislature to the Railbelt, and an independent office to find unspent state agency money.
July 21, 2026Supports Government Spending Reduction
Source: deltadiscovery.com
Published a letter in The Delta Discovery on August 19, 2025, criticizing the Legislature's special-session override of Gov. Dunleavy's veto of school funding. He blamed the teachers union and backed cutting Alaska's 54 school districts to 30.
August 19, 2025Supports Government Spending Reduction
Source: deltadiscovery.com
Published a letter in The Delta Discovery on June 28, 2025, arguing the Legislature's budget overspent and broke the state constitution. He said it left Gov. Dunleavy to make about $2 billion in line-item cuts.
June 28, 2025Supports Government Spending Reduction
Source: deltadiscovery.com
Published a letter in The Delta Discovery on June 28, 2025, opposing a return to a defined-benefit pension system for public employees. He said he supports the current defined-contribution system.
June 28, 2025Supports Government Spending Reduction
Source: deltadiscovery.com
Published a letter in The Delta Discovery on June 28, 2025, criticizing the Legislature for raising school funding and state worker pay while cutting the Permanent Fund Dividend. He called term limits the first step to fixing state spending.
June 28, 2025Supports Government Spending Reduction
Source: deltadiscovery.com
Published a letter in The Delta Discovery on September 27, 2023, criticizing Sen. James Kaufman's fiscal bill, SB 21. He argued it and other big proposals did not show their costs or any funding source other than the Permanent Fund Dividend.
September 27, 2023Supports Government Spending Reduction
Source: deltadiscovery.com
Track record — General
General · 9 records
Sent the Bethel school board a letter, published in The Delta Discovery on July 21, 2026, opposing a plan to hand out condoms to students. He asked that it be read into the board's record.
July 21, 2026
Source: deltadiscovery.com
Published a letter in The Delta Discovery on July 21, 2026, criticizing new state jury rules that leave Bethel residents to serve for 57 Yukon-Kuskokwim villages. He proposed housing village jurors in the UAF Bethel campus dormitory.
July 21, 2026
Source: deltadiscovery.com
Published a letter in The Delta Discovery on June 26, 2025, criticizing Rep. Nellie Jimmie's vote to cut the Permanent Fund Dividend. He argued the dividend belongs to all Alaskans and called for paying the full amount set by law.
June 26, 2025
Source: deltadiscovery.com
Broadcast weekly commentary on Alaska legislative action on KEDI and KRUP radio in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta over four years.
October 31, 2024
Source: kyuk.org
Published a letter in The Delta Discovery on February 16, 2023, opposing any push to force unincorporated rural areas into boroughs. He argued Bush villages have almost no taxable private property.
February 16, 2023
Source: deltadiscovery.com
Published an opinion piece in The Delta Discovery on August 4, 2022, urging Alaskans to vote yes on holding a state constitutional convention. He cited the Legislature's use of the binding caucus as a reason.
August 4, 2022
Source: deltadiscovery.com
Published a letter in The Delta Discovery on August 20, 2021, arguing the Legislature could afford a full Permanent Fund Dividend. He criticized Reps. Tiffany Zulkosky and Bryce Edgmon for voting against a full dividend in the House budget.
August 20, 2021
Source: deltadiscovery.com
The Native Village of Kwinhagak tribal court temporarily banished him from Quinhagak in 2014 after a property dispute with a village resident; the tribal court rescinded the banishment a year later.
October 22, 2020
Source: kyuk.org
As a Bethel City Council member, introduced an ordinance on May 13, 2008, to exempt fuel bought by Bethel Utilities Corporation to run its power plant from city sales tax, to lower electric costs. The council voted it down 0-6 on May 27, 2008.
May 13, 2008
Source: bethel.municipal.codes
Track record — Candidate Ethics
Candidate Ethics · 2 records
A Kwinhagak tribal court granted a protective order against him in August 2020 for a village woman who said he harassed and threatened her for decades. He has been the subject of at least four restraining or protective orders. He denies the claims.
October 22, 2020
Source: kyuk.org
Pled no contest in 1998 to a felony drug charge after he was caught picking up a tote holding about 10 pounds of marijuana at the Bethel airport.
October 22, 2020
Source: kyuk.org
Past races Willy Keppel ran in:
- State Representative · November 3, 2026 · State House District 38; Alaska
- State Representative, House District 38 · August 18, 2026 · State House District 38; Alaska