Melvin Whitfield Carter III (born January 8, 1979) is an American politician who has served as mayor of

Saint Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississippi River, Saint Paul is a regional business hub and the center ...

, since 2018. Elected to his first term in 2017 and reelected in 2021, Carter is the 55th mayor of St. Paul and its first

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

mayor.

Early life and education

Carter was born in St. Paul's

Rondo Neighborhood St. Paul's Rondo Neighborhood was the center of the black community in the Minneapolis–St. Paul region for much of the 20th century. The intact Rondo neighborhood was socially and economically active, as well as self-supportive. The core of Ro ...

. 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 The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public land-grant research university in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. ...

Talented Youth in Mathematics Program (UMTYMP) in junior high and high school, and graduated from

Saint Paul Central High School Saint Paul Central High School is the oldest high school in the state of Minnesota, United States. Founded in 1866 in downtown Saint Paul, Central has educated many leaders in business, government, literature, arts, sciences, and education through ...

. Carter earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from

Florida A&M University Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU), commonly known as Florida A&M, is a public historically black land-grant university in Tallahassee, Florida. Founded in 1887, It is the third largest historically black university in the Un ...

. 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

Career

Carter served as a Saint Paul City Council member from 2008 to 2013 and was a 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 Mark Brandt Dayton (born January 26, 1947) is an American politician who served as the 40th governor of Minnesota from 2011 to 2019. He was a United States Senator for Minnesota from 2001 to 2007, and the Minnesota State Auditor from 1991 to ...

on early childhood policy. He also was an adjunct faculty member at University of Minnesota-Duluth, teaching graduate-level classes on campaigns and elections.

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. He launched CollegeBound Saint Paul, the city's college savings account program, and the People's Prosperity Pilot, a guaranteed income program that gives 150 families $500 per month for 18 months. Carter also served on the steering committee of the

Mayors National Climate Action Agenda Mayors National Climate Action Agenda, or Climate Mayors, is an association of United States mayors with the stated goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Founded by Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti, former Houston mayor Annise Parker, and for ...

, 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 Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. The company sells automobi ...

Twin Cities Assembly Plant The Twin Cities Assembly Plant is a former Ford Motor Company manufacturing facility in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States, that operated from 1925 to 2011. In 1912, Ford's first assembly and sales activities in Minnesota began in a former wareh ...

("Ford site") in Highland Park into a mixed-use housing and retail center. Carter eliminated the practice of collecting late fees at Saint Paul public libraries 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."11 U.S. Mayors Commit To Developing Pilot Projects For Reparations,"
''Associated Pres'' (June 18, 2021)

Personal life

Carter still resides in the Rondo neighborhood, where he was raised, along with his wife, Sakeena Futrell-Carter, and their children. He is a cousin of professional football player Kenjon Barner.

Elections

References

External links

*
Official mayoral website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Carter, Melvin 1979 births 21st-century American politicians African-American mayors in Minnesota 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