After serving 8 years on the city council, Bonnie Besse Rietz became the first female mayor of the City of Austin in 1997. She was instrumental in expanding the airport runways, developing the Cook Farm Industrial Park, working on the de-nitrification project at the wastewater treatment plant, and constructing Packer Arena along with several apartment complexes within the city. As Vice Chair of the Hormel Foundation and a board member of the Riverland Foundation, she worked on developing the Assurance Scholarship Program. Her vision and leadership played an important role in the formation of Apex Austin, Amis Austin, Access Austin, Page Turners, the Austin Area Drug Task Force, the Welcome Center, the Austin Artworks Festival, and the MacPhail Center For Music in Austin.