Kessler

“You there! Caravan or Raider?” — Kessler, in response to the Sole Survivor's arrival
Kessler is the mayor of Bunker Hill in 2287.
Background Kessler oversees the caravans and merchants of Bunker Hill and ensures that trade can continue to flow through the settlement. She mentions that Bunker Hill once counted on the Minutemen to protect the merchants but, since they fell apart, the people of Bunker Hill had to find a way to get by on their own. Kessler convinced the raider gangs in the area that allowing the merchant settlement to operate was more profitable than the loot from a single raid. Since then they have been forced to pay protection money, in addition to dealing with the demands of the various caravan bosses.
Currently, Kessler pays tribute to at least three raider gang leaders in the area. James Wire is payed in caps and causes such little trouble that Kessler has been pressured to lower payment, though she is hesitant to do so after what happened "last time." Jared is payed in chems, mainly Jet and Psycho, which Kessler buys relatively cheaply from the dealer AJ. Judge Zeller, however, has been causing problems by accepting the tribute but still hitting the caravans. She plans on hiring someone to take out his "army." In addition, Kessler also worries about the raider gang leader Tower Tom, who refuses to accept tribute (going so far as to kill one of the messengers she sent) and has been pushing ever closer to Bunker Hill's trade route.