In his race against Democrat Spencer Frye for an Athens state House of Representatives seat, Republican Carter Kessler makes no secret of his two DUI convictions.

But you'll never guess where Kessler did his community service: Athens Area Habitat for Humanity—where Frye is the executive director. The political rivals have been "respectful" toward each other, but the situation is awkward, nonetheless, Frye said. "It's weird," he said. "It's very strange."

Kessler said he completed part of his service at the American Red Cross, but it was inconvenient because they required him to schedule shifts in advance. "It worked out well because it's close to where I live, and I didn't have to make an appointment," said Kessler, who lives on Holman Avenue. He finished the last of his service today, he said.

Habitat's Barber Street ReStore uses people who've been sentenced to community service to load and unload trucks, clean and help customers, Frye said. They generally get to choose where they do their community service, and Habitat can choose its workers as well, he said. "He hasn't broken any rules here, so we let him stay," he said.

Kessler recently launched a new website where he posted an article describing the circumstances of his DUIs. His first came when he slid off a road in Putnam County. While he admitted he'd had a few beers, he blamed the accident on an unfamiliar road and said he wasn't impaired.

His second came last September in downtown Athens. Kessler said he was pushing a moped with the engined turned off. Despite a blood alcohol level more than twice the legal limit of 0.08 percent, he initially pleaded not guilty, arguing that police had no probable cause to stop him, according to court records. He later changed his plea to guilty. State Court Judge Ethelyn Simpson sentenced him to 240 hours of community service, 30 days' confinement, 12 months of probation and substance abuse treatment, and his license was suspended.

His inability to drive hasn't hurt his campaign, Kessler said. "A lot of people have helped me, and Athens is such a walkable, bikeable place, I've been able to get around," he said.

The libertarian Kessler said he plans to blog at least every other day at the new website, commenting on local and state issues like a recent shooting near downtown, a state juvenile justice reform commission and public school funding.

He and Frye are running to replace Rep. Keith Heard, whom Frye bested in the July Democratic primary, in the northern and eastern Clarke County district.