Melvin Carter (politician)

Melvin Whitfield Carter III (born January 8, 1979) is an American politician who is the mayor of Saint Paul, Minnesota.[1] Elected to his first term in 2017 and reelected in 2021, Carter is the 55th mayor of St. Paul and its first African American mayor.[2] During his tenure, he has supported raising the city's minimum wage to $15 per hour, and he is one of 11 U.S. mayors who co-founded Mayors Organized for Reparations and Equity, a coalition of municipal leaders dedicated to starting pilot reparations programs in their cities.

Melvin Carter
55th Mayor of St. Paul
Assumed office
January 2, 2018
Preceded byChris Coleman
Member of the Saint Paul City Council
from the 1st ward
In office
January 8, 2008 – July 5, 2013
Preceded byDebbie Montgomery
Succeeded byDai Thao
Personal details
Born
Melvin Whitfield Carter III

(1979-01-08) January 8, 1979
Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseSakeena Futrell
EducationFlorida A&M University (BS)
University of Minnesota (MPP)
WebsiteGovernment website Campaign website

Early life and education
Carter in 2018

Carter was born in Saint Paul's Rondo neighborhood. He is the son of Melvin Whitfield Carter Jr., a retired Saint Paul police officer, and Toni Carter, a Ramsey County commissioner. Carter is a fourth-generation Saint Paul resident. He participated in the University of Minnesota Talented Youth in Mathematics Program (UMTYMP) in junior high and high school, and graduated from Saint Paul Central High School.[3]

Carter earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from Florida A&M University. During his time there, he became a brother of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. Carter earned a Master of Public Policy from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs of the University of Minnesota.

Career

Carter was a Saint Paul City Council member from 2008 to 2013 and a vice chair of the council. He also was an adjunct faculty member at University of Minnesota-Duluth, teaching graduate-level classes on campaigns and elections.[4]

Mayor of St. Paul
See also: 2017 Saint Paul mayoral election

During his tenure as mayor, Carter was instrumental in raising the city's minimum wage to $15 per hour. He also established the Office of Financial Empowerment.[5] He launched CollegeBound Saint Paul, the city's college savings account program,[6] and the People's Prosperity Pilot, a guaranteed income program that gives 150 families $500 per month for 18 months.[7]

Carter also served on the steering committee of the Mayors National Climate Action Agenda, a consortium of American mayors advocating for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. In 2019, he reestablished the Affordable Housing Trust Fund. He managed revitalization efforts of the Saint Paul riverfront, and the conversion of the former Ford Motor Company's Twin Cities Assembly Plant ("Ford site") in Highland Park into a mixed-use housing and retail center.[8] Carter eliminated the practice of collecting late fees at Saint Paul public libraries[9] and spearheaded the Families First Housing Pilot program.

In June 2021, Carter was one of 11 U.S. mayors who formed Mayors Organized for Reparations and Equity (MORE), a coalition of municipal leaders dedicated to starting pilot reparations programs in their cities.[10][11]

Personal life

Carter still lives in the Rondo neighborhood where he was raised, along with his wife, Sakeena Futrell-Carter, and their children.[12]

Elections
Saint Paul Mayoral Election Results (First Choice) - 2021[13]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic (DFL) Melvin Carter III (incumbent) 36,426 61.63
Nonpartisan Dino Guerin 7,454 12.61
Nonpartisan Paul Langenfeld 5,298 8.96
Nonpartisan Bill Hosko 3,423 5.79
Nonpartisan Dora Jones-Robinson 2,357 3.99
Nonpartisan Miki Frost 2,069 3.50
Nonpartisan Abu Nayeem 1,516 2.57
Nonpartisan Scott Evans Wergin 355 0.60
Write-in 205 0.35
Total votes 100.00
Saint Paul Mayoral Election Results (First Choice) - 2017[14]
Party Candidate Votes %
Nonpartisan Melvin Carter III 31,353 50.86
Nonpartisan Pat Harris 15,281 24.79
Nonpartisan Dai Thao 7,590 12.31
Nonpartisan Elizabeth Dickinson 2,927 4.75
Nonpartisan Tom Goldstein 2,360 3.83
Nonpartisan Other candidates 2,135 3.46
Total votes 61,646 100.00

References
  1. "Melvin Carter sworn in as St. Paul's first new mayor in 12 years; Frey takes office in Minneapolis". Star Tribune. Retrieved January 11, 2018.
  2. "Melvin Carter elected St. Paul's first African-American mayor". Twincities.com. November 8, 2017. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
  3. "About the Mayor". Saint Paul, Minnesota. November 10, 2017. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  4. Drousie, Émile (April 1, 2018). "Melvin Carter (1979- )". Black Past. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  5. "Minimum Wage". Saint Paul, Minnesota. December 18, 2018. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  6. "St. Paul set to kickstart a college savings account for every newborn". MinnPost. December 12, 2019. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  7. "EDITORIAL | St. Paul to provide low income families with $500 per month cash payments". Star Tribune. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  8. "Ford Site: A 21st Century Community". Saint Paul, Minnesota. October 19, 2015. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  9. Ibrahim, Mohamed. "St. Paul libraries see a boost after going fine-free". Star Tribune. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  10. "11 U.S. Mayors Commit To Developing Pilot Projects For Reparations," Associated Press (June 18, 2021)
  11. Derosier, Alex. "What would reparations for slavery look like in Minnesota and the US? St. Paul's push to explore reparations for descendants of Black slaves and victims of discriminatory housing practices represents a newer type of push on the issue," Duluth News Tribune (April 15, 2022).
  12. Hobbes, Dwight (March 7, 2020). "St. Paul's Mayor Carter rejects simple answers to gun violence". Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  13. "Index". Election Results. November 2, 2021. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
  14. "MN Election Results". Electionresults.sos.state.mn.us. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.