Hamline University will host a Saint Paul mayoral candidate forum on Tuesday, Oct. 28 at 4 p.m. in Anderson Center Room 111. First-Year Seminar students, who have been working with Professor Jim Scheibel, will be moderating the forum.
Hamline invited all five candidates running for mayor to participate in the campus forum. The following three have confirmed their attendance:
- Incumbent Mayor Melvin Carter, who is seeking a third term. Carter was first elected in 2017 and reelected in 2021. During his tenure, he pursued progress initiatives including medical debt forgiveness, college savings accounts for newborns, and a new sales tax to fund roads and parks.
- Yan Chen, a biophysicist at the University of Minnesota who ran for St. Paul City Council Ward 1 in 2023. Chen argues the city is not doing enough to manage growing operational costs while instead raising property taxes at an unsustainable rate.
- State Rep Kaohly Her, a fourth-term DFL legislator, entered the race because she felt there hadn’t been enough debate on city issues like rising property taxes, public safety and development challenges in districts like the downtown area.
There will be a Q&A at the end. Students, faculty and staff who attend are encouraged to engage with the candidates on issues affecting the Hamline community and the city of Saint Paul.