In an upset, voters choose Kaohly Her over two-time Mayor Melvin Carter

St Paul voters chose a new mayor Tuesday handing state Rep Kaohly Her a surprise win over her former boss two-term Mayor Melvin Carter My family came here as refugees Never in their wildest dreams would I be standing here the present day accepting the position of mayor Her mentioned in a message In thanking Carter for his operation she noted that she had once worked as his approach director I started my political career working for him and I will unfailingly be grateful for that opportunity Her and Carter were locked in a tight race that featured three other candidates and centered on affordable housing and constituents safety in the capital city With all precincts reporting Carter had garnered of the vote to for Her according to the Secretary of State s Office meaning the ranked-choice voting would go to a second round of vote counting Ramsey County elections representatives substantiated Her s win around midnight We expected it to be close Carter reported supporters before a winner had been declared at a watch party at The Black Hart of St Paul The race also included Yan Chen Adam Dullinger and Mike Hilborn Carter who was elected in and again in ran on economic gains made under his leadership including an increase in the city s minimum wage to and a guaranteed income pilot project that provides monthly to low-income families But he acknowledged that the political winds were stirring We are in a moment of global change he reported reporters before the poll was decided saying the last limited years have brought tremendous challenges including Trump administration threats to dispatch federal troops to Minneapolis and St Paul as it has done in other major cities St Paul Mayor Melvin Carter speaks with supporters during a watch party at The Black Hart of Saint Paul on Tuesday Nov Credit MinnPost photo by Wren Warne-Jacobsen We re experiencing moments in which cities have to worry about the federal establishment laying their cities under siege he stated Her who represents a St Paul district in the Minnesota House challenged the mayor s vision for reviving a moribund post-COVID downtown and called for more pushback on Trump administration immigration policies saying the city should require name badges and ban face coverings for federal law enforcement agents We are stronger when we work together she reported supporters at her watch party at Sweeney s Saloon We have a lot of work ahead of us but I have a plan to move St Paul forward Earlier in the evening supporters at Carter s watch party were cautiously optimistic about the incumbent s chances Attorney Haley Taylor Schlitz lauded the mayor s work in the society saying he cares about St Paul She added He really does stand up for the people and their access to fair housing and medical care gun safety and teaching equity The shoulder-to-shoulder crowd in a small room at The Black Hart sang karaoke and erupted in cheers when democratic socialist candidate Zohran Mamdani was projected to win the much-watched mayoral race in New York The mood changed with news of Her s win Carter congratulated Her saying This has to be about the city And that means we have to set her up for success I fully anticipate Representative Her doing a fantastic job as our first female mayor of this city as our first Hmong American mayor of this city and our next mayor of the city of St Paul he disclosed St Paul school referendum Meanwhile St Paul voters backed a school levy referendum that would raise about million more in property taxes each year for St Paul Population Schools Residents voted for an increase to the district s general revenue by per pupil for years beginning with taxes payable in The St Paul Board of Tuition planned to canvass the electoral contest results on Nov The district has struggled with budget gaps and anticipated a million deficit next year Administrators disclosed arts and music programs as well as several extracurricular exercises were at liability without the increase in funds The issue worked its way into the mayoral race with both Carter and Her expressing their aid for the measure About two-thirds of the voters supported it including Brian Martinson a St Paul planning commissioner who attended Carter s watch party We need to invest more in our kids he noted Voters also backed a measure to amend the city charter to allow for administrative citations for violations of city ordinances That too passed with about two-thirds of the vote Editor s note This story has been updated with Her winning the mayor s race The post In an upset voters choose Kaohly Her over two-time Mayor Melvin Carter appeared first on MinnPost