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New Saint Paul Mayor Melvin Carter visits Sunrise

Saint Paul Mayor Melvin Carter discusses why he went into politics, his vision for the city and his experience in the Red Bull Crashed Ice event on Sunrise.

SAINT PAUL, Minn. - History was made in Saint Paul in early January when Melvin Carter took office as the city's first black mayor. On Thursday, he sat down with Tim McNiff on Sunrise to discuss his vision for the city and answer questions from viewers.

Carter, born and raised in Saint Paul, comes from a family of civil servants. However, his goal wasn't always to follow suit.

"I went to college in Florida and was pretty focused on athletics and focused on going to business school," he explained. "I was down there in the middle of the election in 2000 when I first got to vote, and a bunch of our classmates, including my own brother-in-law, got turned away from the polls and that turned a lot of us towards politics."

During the 2017 Saint Paul mayoral election, Carter received almost twice the number of votes of his nearest competitor. He said he believes it's because voters are looking for someone authentic.

"We engage people in building a big vision for the city," he said. "We told them the truth and didn't try to change who I am to what we thought they might like."

Carter has previously said his work as mayor will focus on three pillars: public safety, education and economic justice.

"Economic justice means making sure that everybody has access to a good job, the promise of entrepreneurship, affordable housing and tools to turn income into wealth," he explained. "The first step that we're going to take is to raise the minimum wage to $15 in Saint Paul."

When asked about the increasing violence on Saint Paul's east side, Mayor Carter referenced his community-first policing plan.

"Our public safety approach has to start with making sure that we always know our officers and our neighbors are on the same team," he said. "That's why we're focused on reinvesting in that trust."

To hear the full conversation with Mayor Melvin Carter, watch the video above.

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