St. Paul mayor candidates debate Carter's leadership record
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State Rep. Kaohly Vang Her, right, is challenging incumbent St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter. Photos: Minnesota Legislature and Jemal Countess/Getty Images for NOBCO
State Rep. Kaohly Her's central argument against incumbent St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter is that during his two terms, City Hall officials have been too slow to answer constituents, developers or lawmakers calling for help.
Why it matters: Carter's reelection chances likely hinge on whether voters buy this claim from his highest-profile challenger — especially with very little ideological daylight between the two Democrats.
The big picture: Her says city officials are either slow or "not responsive" to answer a range of critical requests, from handling businesses' permit applications to courting developers, big and small.
- At the Legislature, "When you don't return phone calls to your St. Paul delegation … you will have problems passing bills," Her said. (A city-backed proposal to renovate Grand Casino Arena received little consideration last session.)
- Her — who used to work for Carter as his policy director — also said Carter's disengagement has affected his relationship with the City Council, leading to clashes with members.
What they're saying: "The attitude in the mayor's office is always, 'We're the mayor's office. We don't have to consult with anyone,'" Her said at a Sept. 17 mayoral forum.
The other side: While "there isn't such a thing as 'hands-on enough,' our goal is to be as high-touch as we can," Carter told Axios.
- Topping Carter's list of counterexamples from his tenure: major new redevelopment projects underway at Allianz Field, Highland Bridge and on the Greater East Side, and a $1 billion pipeline of new public works projects.
- He also pointed to the recent rollout of "Paulie," an online portal designed to streamline the city's permitting and inspections.
- Carter has downplayed talk of tension with the council, framing their disagreements as productive and healthy.
Friction point: During the September forum, Her claimed Cub Foods closed its Midway store after city officials were "not responsive" to the store's public safety concerns.
- "Fundamentally untrue," Carter replied, saying the city had met with Cub and "built a plan." (Her wouldn't back down: "It is factual.")
- Cub's parent company has previously said the grocery store closed as part of a plan to "optimize our footprint."
Yes, but: Carter said some developers or applicants with praiseworthy projects walk away frustrated because city officials don't always have capacity: "We don't have an army of people," he told Axios.
Zoom out: Her is not Carter's only opponent.
- Biophysicist Yan Chen may wind up outspending Her on the trail, but her tax-cutting and back-to-basics mayoral campaign has gotten less attention.
- Business owner Mike Hilborn and engineer Adam Dullinger are also on the ballot.