Melvin Carter is a fourth-generation Saint Paul resident, Saint Paul public school graduate, former Saint Paul City Councilmember, father, and served as Saint Paul’s Mayor from 2018 to 2025.
He is currently Interim Senior Advisor at GroundBreak Coalition.
Carter grew up in the Rondo neighborhood as the son of one of Saint Paul’s first black police officers, and a teacher (who now serves as a Ramsey County Commissioner). He attended Saint Paul public schools, ran track at his neighborhood rec center, and graduated from Central High School. He currently lives blocks away from where he grew up with his wife, Dr. Sakeena Futrell-Carter, and the youngest three of their five children. Carter has been working to engage, enfranchise, and uplift people not only in Saint Paul, but also across the state and nation.
During his tenure as Mayor of Saint Paul from 2018 through 2025, Melvin advanced a governing agenda centered on economic stability and practical tools for families. His administration launched citywide college savings accounts, created the nation’s first publicly funded guaranteed income pilot, established the Rondo Inheritance Fund to help rebuild generational wealth, invested in housing and infrastructure, and reduced violent crime — all grounded in the belief that systems should help families build lasting financial footing.
