[5] Bauer organized the Essex County Board of Trade and the Lynn Chamber of Commerce.
In October 1919, Bauer was selected by Governor Calvin Coolidge to be part of the delegation that greeted the rulers of Belgium on their visit to Boston.
[8] Bauer was described by The Boston Daily Globe's Louis M. Lyons of "[ruling] Lynn with an iron hand.
[5] Upon taking office, Bauer took over city's purchasing department in order to better control municipal spending.
In his first year, he refused to issue a supplementary budget and instead reminded city department heads of a $1,000 legal penalty for any official who spent beyond his appropriation.
[5] Bauer also declared war on "petting parties" by ordering the police to break up mixed parties on Flax Pond or Sluice Pond after 11 pm and open any automobiles they find parked in Lynn Woods with the curtains down.
He also sought to reduce crime by increasing fees on pool tables, theatre licenses, and peddlers.