Burnsville mayor to take national post

by Elizabeth Dunbar, Minnesota Public Radio

St. Paul, Minn. — Burnsville's mayor will become the next president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors during a ceremony next week.

Elizabeth Kautz had served as vice president of the organization. The group's current president, Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, was defeated in the most recent mayoral election in Seattle, and his term ends Saturday.

Kautz was first elected mayor of the southern Twin Cities suburb in November 1994 after serving two years on the City Council.

Kautz will serve out Nickels' term, which was to end in June. She'll then serve a full term as president until June 2011.

Kautz will be formally sworn-in as president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors on Tuesday at the Performing Arts Center in Burnsville.