Autumn Sky Burns has always had a passion for community, writing her first letter to the editor, “Computers are not the same as Books,” when she was thirteen. A fifth generation Nebraskan and Papillion resident for the last sixteen years, Burns intends to continue serving her community by seeking to becoming the next City Councilwoman for Papillion for Ward 4. 

Autumn Sky refers to herself as a community advocate with a vision that we are better together. She believes a city is strongest when all of its citizens feel like they belong there and as a result feel inspired to invest their time, efforts, and skills to cultivate an inclusive community. 

Gandhi's quote, “you must first be the change you want to see in this world,” along with a years of getting to know Papillion's community members were her inspiration for her platforms.

Increased Transparency & Community Engagement: Citizens deserve to have a transparent government. Burns seeks to create a culture where the community is familiar with the elected officials and feel comfortable that their voices are being heard. Burns describes herself as fiscally conservative and believes the public should be more aware of how tax dollars are being spent. She believes there are many methods of communication that are under-utilized currently and could be used for more engagement with the community

Intentional growth: change is constant but we must be intentional about our growth as a community. Green space is a reason many move to Papillion and we must preserve that while allowing for business growth. A daughter of small business owners, Burns seeks to strengthen the small business community.

Affordable Quality Housing & Childcare: as the city grows, we must be mindful that families of all income levels need housing. Additionally, many families are facing long wait lines for quality child cares and that need will only intensify as our city expands.

Citywide Green Initiatives & Sustainability Efforts: Papillion is the wealthiest city in Nebraska, filled with individuals who care about our planet. We should strive to be looked to as the model for how to live sustainably.  City wide recycling and/or specific drop off locations are within her goals. 

Since 2005, Burns has been a familiar face in many sectors of the community. She is currently the President of the Board of Directors President for the Housing Foundation for Sarpy County and the Vice President of the Board of Directors for the Sarpy/Cass Department of Health. Previously, she has volunteered with Young Life Youth Ministry, Assure Women's Center, Sarpy County Head Start Policy Council, & College of Saint Mary’s Single Parent Success Mentoring Program.  Autumn Sky has has served on boards for Nebraska Foster Care Review Office, Nebraska Cancer Coalition, Papillion LaVista Teammates and is a 2017 Leadership Sarpy graduate. 

Burns earned her Bachelor's of Education & Human Services in 2008 from University of Nebraska-Omaha and received a graduate certificate in Youth Program Management & Evaluation from Great Plains IDEA/UNL in 2010.  In 2011, she received her Masters of Science from University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Currently, Burns works full-time as a Community Health Coordinator for CHI Health Midlands. She is also the founder of a women's empowerment network. She lives in the Tara Heights neighborhood with her two sons.

“I want to change the way we view “politicians,” to begin to understand that a politician should just be an individual who loves community and who has specific skills to serve in that capacity. That is all I am, a normal woman who loves Papillion, who enjoys policy work and who wants to engage others in creating community,” Burns says.