Melvin Carter (politician)
Melvin Carter | |
---|---|
55th Mayor of St. Paul | |
Assumed office January 2, 2018 | |
Preceded by | Chris Coleman |
Director of The Minnesota Department of Education Office of Early Learning | |
In office July 2013 – November 2017 | |
Governor | Mark Dayton |
Member of the Saint Paul City Council from the 1st ward | |
In office January 2008 – July 2013 | |
Preceded by | Debbie Montgomery |
Succeeded by | Nathaniel Khaliq (interim) |
Personal details | |
Born | Melvin Whitfield Carter III January 8, 1979 Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse(s) | Sakeena Futrell |
Education | Florida A&M University (BS) University of Minnesota (MPP) |
Website | Government website Campaign website |
Melvin Whitfield Carter III (born January 8, 1979) is an American politician and member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party who has served as mayor of Saint Paul, Minnesota, since 2018.[1] Elected to his first term in 2017, Carter is the 55th mayor of St. Paul and its first African American mayor.[2]
Early life and education[]
Carter was born in St. Paul's Rondo Neighborhood. He is the son of Toni Carter, a Ramsey County commissioner, and Melvin Whitfield Carter Jr., a retired St. Paul police officer. Carter is a fourth-generation St. Paulite. He is a graduate of Saint Paul Central High School and was an UMTYMP (University of Minnesota Talented Youth in Mathematics Program) student through junior high and high school.[3] He earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from Florida A&M University. During his time at FAMU, Carter became a brother of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. He earned a Master of Public Policy from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs of the University of Minnesota.[citation needed]
Career[]
Before his election as mayor, Carter served as a Saint Paul City Council member from 2008 to 2013 and vice chair of the council.
He also served as founding board chair of the Saint Paul Promise Neighborhood, director of the Minnesota Office of Early Learning, and executive director of the Minnesota Children's Cabinet, advising former Governor Mark Dayton on early childhood policy.[4] He also was an adjunct faculty member at University of Minnesota-Duluth, teaching graduate-level classes on campaigns and elections.[5]
Mayor of St. Paul[]
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.[6] He launched CollegeBound Saint Paul, the city's college savings account program,[7] and the People's Prosperity Pilot, a guaranteed income program that gives 150 families $500 per month for 18 months.[8]
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 St. Paul riverfront, and the "Ford Site", the location of a former Ford Motor Company assembly plant in Highland Park, is being redeveloped into a mixed-use housing and retail center.[9] Carter eliminated the practice of collecting late fees in St. Paul public libraries[10] and spearheaded the Families First Housing Pilot program.
Personal life[]
Carter still resides in Rondo, where he was raised, along with his wife, Sakeena Futrell-Carter, and their children.[11] He is a cousin of professional football player Kenjon Barner.[citation needed]
Elections[]
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 |
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[]
- ^ "Melvin Carter sworn in as St. Paul's first new mayor in 12 years; Frey takes office in Minneapolis". Retrieved January 11, 2018.
- ^ "Melvin Carter elected St. Paul's first African-American mayor". Twincities.com. November 8, 2017. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
- ^ "About the Mayor". Saint Paul, Minnesota. November 10, 2017. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
- ^ "About | Melvin Carter". Retrieved December 23, 2020.
- ^ Drousie, Émile (April 1, 2018). "Melvin Carter (1979- )". Black Past. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
- ^ "Minimum Wage". Saint Paul, Minnesota. December 18, 2018. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
- ^ "St. Paul set to kickstart a college savings account for every newborn". MinnPost. December 12, 2019. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
- ^ "EDITORIAL | St. Paul to provide low income families with $500 per month cash payments". Star Tribune. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
- ^ "Ford Site: A 21st Century Community". Saint Paul, Minnesota. October 19, 2015. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
- ^ Ibrahim, Mohamed. "St. Paul libraries see a boost after going fine-free". Star Tribune. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
- ^ Hobbes, Dwight (March 7, 2020). "St. Paul's Mayor Carter rejects simple answers to gun violence". Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
- ^ "Index". Election Results. November 2, 2021. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
- ^ "MN Election Results". Electionresults.sos.state.mn.us. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
External links[]
- Media related to Melvin Carter (politician) at Wikimedia Commons
- Official mayoral website
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- 1979 births
- 21st-century American politicians
- African-American mayors
- African-American city council members in Minnesota
- Living people
- Mayors of Saint Paul, Minnesota
- Minnesota Democrats
- University of Minnesota Duluth faculty
- 21st-century African-American politicians
- 20th-century African-American people