Burnsville City Council Before being elected mayor, Kautz served as a councilwoman on the Burnsville City Council from 1992 to 1994. As Mayor she has focused on community development, quality of life and financial management green-lighting renovation campaigns to turn unproductive parts of the city into its financial backbone, allowing more money to be spent on public transportation and retrofitting all municipal buildings with
LED lights. She has also financed a new $20 million Performing Arts Center in the city's downtown, initially receiving public backlash for using taxpayer dollars, but successfully turning the Center into a pillar of the community. She has also participated in national politics, being a strong supporter of
Donald Trump and his presidency, being one of the first politicians to travel to
Trump Tower directly following the
2016 United States presidential election to congratulate him in person.
United States Conference of Mayors Mayor Kautz was selected to serve as the 68th President of the
United States Conference of Mayors. She was appointed to finish the remainder of
Seattle mayor
Greg Nickels 2009 to 2010 term as his re-election bid was defeated shortly after being named the Conference's President in 2009. She also held her own tenure from 2010 to 2011. During her term she focused the conference's efforts on immigration issues. Namely creating a universal and concise definition of a
sanctuary city and streamlining how local law enforcement interacts with
ICE and the
DHS. Following the expiring of her term, she has also worked as the conference's Chair of the Finance and Audit Committee. ==Personal life==