Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Mayor Elizabeth Kautz will take to the catwalk on Thursday to show off Ann Taylor's new collection, as well as up-cycled creations by students at her alma mater, St. Catherine University.
Mayor Elizabeth Kautz will soon be able to add one more line to her already substantial resume: Runway model. Kautz will be one of a cadre of prominent alumnae of St. Catherine University to walk in a fashion show at the Mall of America this Thursday. The show will feature new fashions by Ann Taylor and upcycled creations by St. Kate's design students. Current merchandising students will be reposnsible for styling the group of women, which will include Asma Lori Saroya (executive director of CAIR-MN), Annie Ballantine (interior designer and owner of Annie Ballantine Designs) and Cathy Bendel, MD (associate professor and director of the neonatal-perinatal medicine fellowship program at the University of Minnesota). The show will take place …
Thursday, February 21, 2013
In her annual address to the city's residents, seven term Mayor Elizabeth Kautz was stridently (some may say, defiantly) optimistic.
Wednesday, Mayor Elizabeth Kautz made a case for her city, which she has helmed for almost two decades. "I don't apologize for being proud of Burnsville," Kautz said. If that sounds defensive, consider this. In 2009, south metro blogger Bill Roehl instigated a Why I Love to Hate Burnsville Essay Contest which garnered dozens of entries, often phrased in salty couplets. By that same token, at least two people have started feeds (see Bville compliments and BHSNiceTalk) to defend their town's oft-trod upon honor in the Twittersphere. In her annual State of the City Address, Kautz reassured the audience: Burnsville is in excellent shape. To prove her point, Kautz offered the following: • About 89 percent of the residents polled in the 2012 …
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Elizabeth Kautz will review 2012 and look to the future in her annual address on Wednesday.
Mayor Elizabeth Kautz will take to the stage this upcoming Wednesday to recap local events and developments of the last 12 months, not the least of which was her seventh election win. The annual "State of the City Address" will also provide the public with a glimpse into the future, as Kautz discusses her plans and hopes for the year to come. The address will begin at 11:30 a.m. on Feb. 20, at the Burnsville Performing Arts Center. It is open to the public. The speech will also air live on Burnsville Civic Channel 16 (for cable subscribers) and online at www.burnsville.org. A luncheon will follow. The cost of the luncheon is $25 per person. Pre-registration required. You can register for the lunch at Burnsville Chamber of Commerce's …
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Hint: More than a nice Swiss watch, less than a full year as a residential undergraduate at the University of Minnesota.
Follow us on Twitter | Like us on Facebook | Sign up for our daily newsletter Anyone thinking about challenging Mayor Elizabeth Kautz in 2016, take note: Better have enough money to fill a small armored car if you want to make a successful bid. During the 2012 election cycle, the mayor garnered a whopping $20,000 in contributions in her successful quest for a seventh term, many from members of the business community, other elected officials on school board and at least one sitting city council member. Kautz drew in as much or more than Burnsville candidates running for state offices: Incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Hall took in $21,371 cash, as of the last filing, and GOP Rep. Pam Myrha raised $18,237.04 It almost goes without saying that …
Saturday, November 3, 2012
Mayor Elizabeth Kautz says her opponent is behind an anonymous group called the "Coalition of Better Business in Burnsville," which recently targeted her in a smear campaign, but foe Jerry Willenburg says he has no part in it.
With the election right around the corner, a shadowy anonymous organization has taken aim at long-standing Mayor Elizabeth Kautz, or so it would seem. According to a recent article in the Star Tribune, her opponent Jerry Willenburg said he knows nothing about the mass mailing that went out on Oct. 29, which takes Kautz to task for her support of the Burnsville Performing Arts Center, allegedly pulling strings to get a stoplight installed in front of her condo and conflict of interest, among other things. He told the Star Tribune that he had no relationship with the group behind it, which calls itself the "Coalition of Better Business in Burnsville." Little is known about the "Coalition," which has no Internet presence, no known address and…
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Two mayoral candidates and four council contenders will face off this Monday.
The local election cycle will kick into high gear this coming Monday, when city candidates take to the mic during a Candidate Forum. Mayor Elizabeth Kautz will face two-time challenger Jerry Willenburg, who gave Kautz the toughest race of her long career in 2008, according to Sun ThisWeek. Vying for two council seats will be former Council Member Steve Cherney, Bruce Johnson, Suzanne Nguyen and incumbent Mary Sherry. This candidate forum is presented by the Burnsville Chamber of Commerce. If you wish to see the forum, it will be streamed live online at www.burnsville.org/meetings and on Burnsville Community Television (BCTV) Channel 16. Check www.burnsville.tv for replay times. You can also watch the forum in person at City Hall, 100 …
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
The new ordinance allows companies to install digital displays on existing billboards—if they agree to eliminate another billboard somewhere in the city.
It may not be the last time the Burnsville City Council debates the merits of dynamic display billboards in the city, but for now, at least, the issue has been put to rest. On Tuesday, the council unanimously approved an ordinance amendment allowing dynamic display billboards along the city's interstate and arterial corridors. The amendment permits companies to convert existing, traditional billboards in Burnsville into digital signs on the condition that they remove at least one other standing billboard in the city. That "retirement clause"—and lingering divisions between the council members—threatened to once again derail the discussion during the council's regular meeting Tuesday. Burnsville City Councilor Dan Kealey pushed to remove …
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Incumbents came out ahead on Aug. 14, the state primary, with Mayor Elizabeth Kautz and Council Member Mary Sherry taking the top percentages.
The tallies are in and veteran Mayor Elizabeth Kautz will face past adversary Jerry Willenburg during the November general election. During the 2008 election, Willenburg gave Kautz the hardest campaign since her lengthy mayoral career began in 1994. According to Sun Thisweek, Willenburg bested Kautz in the 2008 primary by 17 votes. Kautz turned the tables on Wilenburg during the November 2008 election, taking 54 percent to his 46 percent margin, but the contest was the closest of her career. Another incumbent, City Council Member Mary Sherry, took the top percentage in the council primary, an eight way race for just two spots. Sherry will compete for her seat with the top three runners up in November. Burnsville City Council Burnsville …
Monday, July 9, 2012
This week, the city's elected officials are reconsidering their own salary and benefits. What do you think?
It's budget time at Burnsville City Hall, and on Tuesday Mayor Elizabeth Kautz and her cohorts on the city council will consider something near and dear: Their own city salaries and benefits. At present, the mayor earns $1,000 per month. Each council member draws a monthly salary of $700. From 2009 to 2011, elected officials in Burnsville also received a stipend ($35 for each "extra meeting" they attended). In addition to drawing a salary, the mayor and council currently can enroll in the city's health and dental insurance program (the same plans that part-time, 20-hour a week employees receive) and are eligible for retirement benefits (the city will match contributions, which max out at up to 5 percent of their total city salary). …
Thursday, June 14, 2012
After a long and tense discussion Tuesday night, the Burnsville City Council was still split 2-3 on the question of loosening the city's policy regarding billboards.
It appears the latest battle royale over billboards in Burnsville is just beginning. On Tuesday night, City Hall was the scene of a heated discussion in which Mayor Elizabeth Kautz described a proposed change to the City Code as an attempt to turn Burnsville into a "billboard sign farm." Council Member Dan Kealey demanded that she retract her statement. She did not. And after two hours, the council was still at a stalemate. The issue of billboards came to the fore last month, when council members were approached by Clear Channel, which asked them to reconsider the use of large LED signs within city limits. Traditionally, the city has taken a hard line against roadside signage. The current ordinance stipulates that all existing billboards …
Clare Kennedy
3:01 am on Tuesday, January 29, 2013
If you're wondering why we're doing this now, as opposed to November, I'll explain: In some cases, candidate transactions were still going on in December, the last month of filing. We chose to run this story in late January because this week is a rather dead one (no meetings). If you would like to suggest a follow up line of inquiry, please do. Clare.kennedy@patch.com. more ›