Maura Keller, a resident in Fayetteville for the last 28 years and veteran in the Army, is running for Georgia’s third congressional district.Born in South Weymouth, Massachusetts, Keller says her life has been a testament to the power of hard work and helping others. She advocates for better-paying jobs, union support, community engagement, stresses the importance of local elections, and urges voters to understand the impact of their choices.Keller says she envisions a future where the American Dream is not a distant hope, but a reality fostered by responsive and proactive legislation.The Atlanta Voice sat down with Keller to further dissect her campaign, reasons for running, and how she plans to evoke change in the third district.The Atlanta Voice: It’s officially seven days away from the election. How are you feeling?Maura Keller: It feels like a roller coaster because being in the military, you always have something to gage how things are going, and if it’s not going right, you can redirect. There’s nothing to tell if you’re in the right direction or if your campaign’s doing the right thing or if your message is getting out there. It’s just doing what your heart tells you, and you can do so much with social media, but it’s really getting down talking to the folks knocking on the doors, so we’re going to do that all the way until Election Day.AV: Why did you decide to run?MK: It comes down to when I work at the Atlanta VA and because I could not affect change. I’m a retired Army Lieutenant Colonel and when we see issues, we see problems, we fix it. I could not fix those problems. I could produce solutions, but you must have people who are above you to execute them, and we couldn’t. I would see the issues veterans were experiencing, so at the end, when I would treat them, I would say, ‘come with me,’ and I would work the building.AV: Why do you think you are the best person to fill this position?MK: I have nothing to gain from this and it’s all about working for the people. When I enlisted into the military in 1978 as a female Military Policewoman, they didn’t know what to do with us women, because I was one of the first groups to be integrated with the men. I was once given two bits of information; one was to never forget where you came from and always remember when you were enlisted. The second is always remember the decisions you make and don’t make are going to affect that soldier in the field. Those two bits of information have always been my what I call my North Star, so that’s how I led. This is how it’ll be for the district, any decision I make, how is it going to affect the people in this district? It has nothing to do with me, but everything about the people.AV: You stand firm in your commitment to advocate for reproductive freedom, economic opportunity, accessible healthcare, veterans’ rights, and the safeguarding of social security. Tell me more about your commitments if elected?MK: As I’m out there knocking on doors and in Spalding Pike, the people are telling me the same thing, they want better paying jobs. I was even talking to people in grocery stores and at a gas station, and they said to me, if they didn’t have to drive an hour plus, they would like to work in their communities because they’d like to spend more time with their family. There’s nothing coming in to bring more life back into the community that, to me, is extremely important. I want to ensure I make this a priority and let people stay in their community with better pay.AV: How do you plan to do that?MK: I’m apart of AFL-CIO American’s Union, and in talking to some people for like Georgia, they have no desire to change the $5.15 minimum wage. On the federal level, it’s $7.25. I’ve talked to some folks and they’re saying there’s no appetite especially on the republican side and there’s no way to change it unless there’s a company that has taken care of its people that doesn’t need a union that have better pay. Those are the ones I want to bring to the district, but it’s usually unions who have better paying jobs and comes with training. When I was talking to folks like 20s to early 30s, they’re like, ‘I don’t want to go to school, I’ve already got a young family, but if they could teach me, and that allows me also to have benefits,’ because also talking to them, some of them are working two and three jobs with no benefits. Let’s see what we can bring into the communities that’s going to bring some life and better paying jobs so people can finally get the health care and essentials they deserve.AV: What do you say to people who still are choosing to sit this election season out?MK: I’d ask them what is extremely important to them and whatever that is, is there a candidate you can truly look at and say, they get me, and they heard me. People also should investigate things that are being said and research because the problem I find on the Republican side is they’ve had such a megaphone of saying the same thing over and over to the point, people are believing it. You got to take the time and truly look for the stuff to be debunked. If you can’t look anything at a national level, look at the local level, and know that’s why you got to come out to vote, because it’s your tax commissioners, your judges, your commissioners and your city councils, and they are making a lot of decisions for you, and are politically charged. We must ensure people understand they cannot stay home because then they won’t have a voice and if things happen in the form of the America first agenda, which is a crosswalk of Project 2025, a lot of the voices they thought wasn’t heard, won’t be heard.AV: What do you want our readers to get from this conversation?MK: My word is my bond. I’m somebody I hold myself accountable to a higher standard that again, have nothing to gain from this or I’m not looking to amass power or a power base. I wake up with a purpose and if you’ve ever felt such a feeling of accomplishment or joy because you did something for someone, not expecting anything in return, I just want to help people get the things they need.AV: Anything else to add?MK: I feel so passionate about what I’m doing, this wasn’t on my bucket list. I’d rather be on a cruise ship right now, but you can either complain or you can go and try to make a difference and do something. I have no problem being a voice for the people. It’s a calling because some days, I go to bed asking myself, ‘What am I doing’ and ‘why am I doing this,’ but when I wake up in the morning, it all hits me why I’m doing this. It’s about the people who feel they are not heard. We don’t have multi-million dollars, super PACs, or lobbyists like my opponent, we just have the people.The post “For the people”: Maura Keller is running for Georgia’s 3rd Congressional District appeared first on The Atlanta Voice.