Elected Mayor in 2008 and re-elected with no opposition in 2012 and 2016, Keyserling spent most of his career in government, public affairs, and the not for profit sector as an advocate for making the world he leaves behind better for generations that follow.
Following a 16 year career in Washington, DC, working at all staff levels in the US Senate and House of Representatives, directing an international human rights campaign focused on the former USSR, Keyserling declared “victory” and returned to his hometown where the rubber hits the road and he knew he could effect change.
As a real estate developer working on sustainable and affordable development, a broker handling high end and commercial properties, Keyserling served two years in the SC House of Representatives with a focus on energy, public education, and environmental sustainability for his community, his state and nation. Wanting to be even closer to where change can happen, he left the Statehouse after two terms, was elected to City Council and then as Mayor.
Under Keyserling’s leadership, the City of Beaufort created a 100-year civic master plan to double its population on its current footprint making his charming and beautiful seaside home town more environmentally, culturally, and fiscally sustainable through infill and redevelopment of existing structures and new ones that fit appropriately within our celebrated National Historic Landmark District.
Under Keyserling’s leadership. the City of Beaufort organized the first citizen-based sea level rise task force in the state and has been at the forefront of the struggle to prevent seismic testing along the treasured Atlantic coastline, working with colleagues to forge a coalition of coastal mayors in SC and from Delaware to Florida. The fight continues.
Keyserling’s other interest is uncovering and teaching the untold and oft mis-told stories of the Reconstruction era during and following the Civil War, with the goal of establishing a National Reconstruction Era National Historical Park under the National Park Service and a National Museum telling and interpreting the untold stories from which he believes we can find answers to the issues of the day not the least of which are found in the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments to the US Constitution being again challenged in practice in modern America.
Keyserling has long called for three-dimensional infrastructure planning so that we do not waste precious dollars building more bridges and roads leading to places that may not in the future exist while focusing on remodeling antiquated stormwater relief capacity taking into account measures to mitigate the threats of water be it from the sea, heavy rains or coastal storms and flooding.
