Transcripts

SPEAKER: Let's dive a little deeper into last night's election results. I mentioned that Saint Paul has elected its first African American mayor, Melvin Carter. Details this morning from Peter Cox.

PETER COX: Melvin Carter has roots that go back four generations in Saint Paul. Last night, he stood in a hallway at the rail station where his grandfather worked as a redcap and reflected on that history.

MELVIN CARTER: It just feels like a momentous moment on behalf of not just the African American community, but all of our communities of color in this city. And I'm honored and really touched to just be in this space today.

PETER COX: Earlier in the night, he spoke to a crowd of supporters, saying that just last week, someone told him he doesn't look mayoral.

MELVIN CARTER: And you know what they meant. What they meant is that they've been to city hall. And they've seen the wall in city hall that shows the pictures of all the former mayors in the history of this city, and that none of them look like me.

AUDIENCE: What are you talking about?

MELVIN CARTER: What I told them is that's not my problem. That's our problem.

[CHEERS, APPLAUSE]

PETER COX: Carter's family has roots in the Rondo neighborhood, an African American community destroyed by the construction of Interstate 94. He says the city has grown and changed.

MELVIN CARTER: We are a diverse city. We are an intercultural city. We are an international city. We are a vibrant and thriving city. And when we talk about building Saint Paul for the future, that's not about abandoning who we are. It's about recognizing that the only thing constant about Saint Paul for generations has been change.

PETER COX: Carter won Saint Paul's ranked choice mayoral election straight out. It took most by surprise, including him. He won many more first-choice votes than the next two highest vote getters, Pat Harris and current city council member Dai Thao. Harris, who was on the city council with Carter, says the city will be in good hands.

PAT HARRIS: Melvin ran an awesome campaign. He's an awesome guy. And I think he's going to do an awesome job for the community.

PETER COX: Harrison Carter drew attention in the most dramatic moment of the campaign late last month. The Saint Paul Police Federation, who backed Harris, attempted to link two handguns being stolen from Carter's home to an uptick in crime. The mailer from a political action committee was widely condemned, including by Harris. Last night, the police union sent out a statement congratulating Carter, saying they look forward to working with him. Carter says he believes he can work with the department.

MELVIN CARTER: I think we have the opportunity to work with an incredible chief in Chief Axtell, who I've said from the beginning, is the right chief to do this work with. And I think the rank and file of our Saint Paul Police Department knows that they benefit from this vision that we have. And I'm looking forward to working with them, and I think we can.

PETER COX: Hundreds of people celebrated Carter's victory, including Dr. Dolores Henderson, Carter's principal at J. J. Hill Elementary School in Saint Paul. Henderson says Carter was a talkative student, always speaking up about issues at his school.

DOLORES HENDERSON: What he says he means, and he will do it. So I'm excited. It's like my night because he was my student all those years.

PETER COX: Nick Khaliq, the former head of the Saint Paul NAACP, couldn't help but see the night as a moment of redemption for a neighborhood ruined by a government decision.

NICK KHALIQ: We have struggled for the last 50 years in trying to bring back the memory of Rondo. And I think this is do justice that a son of Rondo has ended up being the mayor of the great city of Saint Paul at this time.

PETER COX: Carter will take office in January. Peter Cox, Minnesota Public Radio news.