Zane Kupper, a candidate for Keller City Council Place 6 in the May 2 election, said in a March 2026 candidate Q&A that Keller should focus on local issues rather than “fighting culture wars from the dais.” But in a December 2025 Facebook post, Kupper defended the Pride Kel-So festival hosted at St. Martin-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church.
In the Community Impact Q&A, Kupper said he wants Keller “to be in the news for how we’re tackling issues facing the folks living here, not for fighting culture wars from the dais.” He also said Keller City Council should remain a “politically neutral, non-partisan body.”
However, in a December 21, 2025, Facebook post, Kupper praised St. Martin-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church and its pastor, Alan Bentrup, for allowing Pride Kel-So to use church property.
“The Vestry and our pastor, Alan Bentrup, took a brave stance backed by their belief that Jesus’ love is unequivocally for all, and meets all wherever they are,” Kupper wrote.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, the Pride Kel-So festival was promoted as an all-ages event and advertised drag performances and other entertainment. Keller Mayor Armin Mizani said the City of Keller did not condone the event.
In the same Facebook post, Kupper said “events like Pride Kel-So are important” and accused “people like Mayor Armin Mizani and his ilk” of not wanting “folks different from them being able to exist in public.” He also criticized city officials’ response to the event.
Kupper is running against Keller ISD board president Charles Randklev in the Place 6 race. In the same Community Impact Q&A, Randklev said his priorities include public safety, low taxes, dependable infrastructure, supporting local businesses, and protecting Keller’s “small-town, family-centered character.”
The election is scheduled for May 2. Early voting begins April 20 and runs through April 28.
