HAS HAD A TOUGH START TO THIS YEAR.

VIOLENCE HAS TAKEN THE LIFE OF A TEENAGER AND LEFT ANOTHER CRITICALLY INJURED - IN SPACES THAT ARE SUPPOSED TO BE SAFE - A HIGH SCHOOL AND A CITY REC CENTER.

ADD IN THE CHALLENGES OF NOT ONE BUT TWO BIG SNOWFALLS TO CLEAN UP IN THE CITY, ONGOING HOUSING ISSUES AND HISTORIC PRESERVATION BATTLES.

ST. PAUL MAYOR MELVIN CARTER IS HERE WITH MORE.

MAYOR, THANKS FOR JOINING US.

WHAT'S IN THE WORKS FOR SECURITY AT HE REC CENTERS AND AT THE HIGH SCHOOLS FOLLOWING THESE INCIDENTS THIS YEAR?

>> HEY, THANKS FOR HAVING ME ON.

I REALLY ENJOYED THAT LAST SEGMENT.

IT'S ALWAYS GOOD TO BE HERE WITH YOU.

WE'RE WORKING REALLY HARD AROUND OUR PUBLIC SAFETY STRATEGIES, AS YOU KNOW, WHILE OUR GOAL HAS ALWAYS BEEN TO FIELD THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE, MOST COORDINATED AND MOST DATA-DRIVEN APPROACH TO PUBLIC SAFETY EVER, AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I THINK WE'VE DONE NOW IS REALLY STARTED TO SAY, LET'S LOOK AT THE WAY WE KEEP OUR PUBLIC -- OUR SCHOOLS AND OUR RECREATION CENTERS IN THE SAME WAY AS WE'VE BEEN LOOKING AT THE WAY WE KEEP OUR COMMUNITIES SAFE.

AND THAT'S THROUGH LARGE COORDINATION -- LARGE COORDINATED EFFORTS THAT INCLUDE LAW ENFORCEMENT, THAT INCLUDE THE FOLKS WHO WORK WITH OUR KIDS ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS, THE TEACHERS AND THE REC LEADERS, AND THAT ENSURES THAT ALL OF THOSE DIFFERENT PEOPLE ARE IN COMMUNICATION WITH ONE ANOTHER SO THAT WE CAN CREATE A SUPPORT SYSTEM AROUND OUR YOUNG PEOPLE THAT'S GREATER THAN THE SUM OF ITS PARTS.

>> Cathy: THERE'S A SCHOOL BOARD LISTENING SESSION NEXT WEEK ABOUT SAFETY NOT ONLY AT HARDING HIGH, BUT, OF COURSE, ACROSS ALL ST. PAUL PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

I KNOW YOU DON'T CONTROL THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS, BUT, YOU KNOW, YOU ARE THE MAYOR OF THE CITY OF St. PAUL.

THE TEACHERS SAY THAT THE VIOLENCE THAT'S OCCURRING IN THESE SCHOOLS DOESN'T OCCUR IN A VACUUM.

IT'S BEEN GOING ON FOR A WHILE, THEY'VE JUST NOT BEEN LISTENED TO.

>> THAT'S RIGHT.

>> Cathy: SO, HOW SAFE ARE St. PAUL SCHOOLS?

I MEAN, I KNOW YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT COORDINATION HERE.

BUT WHAT'S THAT GOING TO LOOK LIKE?

>> I DO THINK St. PAUL SCHOOLS ARE FUNDAMENTALLY SAFE.

WHEN WE RESPOND WITH SHOCK AND HORROR WHEN AN INCIDENT LIKE THAT HAPPENS, THE REASON WE'RE SO SHOCKED IS BECAUSE WE'RE SO USED TO PEOPLE, OUR CHILDREN BEING SAFE, OUR CHILDREN LEARNING, OUR CHILDREN JOINING A ROBOTICS TEAM, OUR CHILDREN BEING NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARS, AND THAT'S THE NORM OF WHAT WE'RE USED TO IN OUR St. PAUL PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

WE HAVE HAD, FRANKLY, SAME AS MANY OF OUR SUBURBAN DISTRICTS HAVE HAD AND DISTRICTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY, SOME OF THOSE UNUSUAL EVENTS, AND HEN THOSE OCCUR, WE SHOULD USE EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM AS A LEARNING OPPORTUNITY TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE GET BETTER TO PREVENT SOME OF THOSE THINGS IN THE FIRST PLACE.

I'VE SAID TO YOU MANY TIMES, PUBLIC SAFETY CAN'T JUST BE ABOUT WHAT WE DO AFTER SOMETHING TERRIBLE HAPPENS.

IT HAS TO BE ABOUT HOW WE MAKE THOSE INTERVENTIONS, THOSE PROACTIVE INVESTMENTS TO HELP REDUCE THE LIKELIHOOD THAT SOMETHING TERRIBLE WILL HAPPEN IN THE FIRST PLACE.

AND THAT'S WHERE BUILDING THIS COMMUNITY FIRST PUBLIC SAFETY FRAMEWORK THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT BEFORE REALLY IS IMPORTANT.

IT'S NOT JUST HAVING THE BODIES ON THE GROUND.

IT'S MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE ALL COMMUNICATING WITH ONE ANOTHER TO BE ABLE TO BE SUPPORTIVE AND, FRANKLY, I'LL TELL YOU ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I FUNDAMENTALLY BELIEVE IS, OUR CHILDREN FOUGHT EACH OTHER WHEN I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL, OUR CHILDREN FOUGHT EACH OTHER WHEN MY FATHER WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL, RIGHT NOW WE'VE DECIDED AS A COUNTRY, WE'VE DECIDED AS A STATE, I THINK, WE'RE GOING TO MAKE A DIFFERENT DECISION SOON, TO HAVE A COMMUNITY WHERE IT'S EASY FOR OUR YOUNG FOLKS AND PEOPLE OF ALL AGES, FOR THE WRONG FOLKS TO GET THEIR HANDS ON A GUN.

IT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY I'M SO GRATEFUL THAT OUR LEGISLATURE IS TAKING ON GUN SAFETY AND GUN VIOLENCE REDUCTION AS A PART OF THIS YEAR'S LEGISLATIVE SESSION.

>> Eric: LET'S TURN IT ANOTHER ISSUE.

SNOW EMPLOYING, ALTERNATIVE PARKING.

WERE YOU SATISFIED WITH HOW IT WENT AND HOW IT'S GOING?

>> LISTEN, I'VE BEEN VERY PLEASED WITH OUR CITY'S RESPONSE TO SNOWPLOWING THIS WEEK.

WE'VE BEEN REHEARSING THE NOTION OF BEING AN ENTERPRISE, OF TAKING 12 -- TAKING A DOZEN CITY DEPARTMENTS AND TURNING IT INTO ONE BIG ENTERPRISE.

I WAS REALLY EXCITED TO SEE OUR CITY'S PLANNING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT, FOR EXAMPLE, WHO OWNS A SERIES OF OUR DOWNTOWN PARKING RAMPS, CHIP IN AND SAY, HEY, WE HAVE A PLACE WHERE PEOPLE CAN MOVE OUR CARS, SPENT A LOT OF TIME AT MIDNIGHT DRIVING AROUND THE CITY, AND PEOPLE REALLY TOOK THAT UP AND GOT THEIR CARS OFF THE NIGHT PLOW ROUTES.

IT GAVE OUR DRIVERS AN OPPORTUNITY TO MOVE THE SNOW.

THAT'S OUR DEAL.

YOU MOVE YOUR CARS, WE CAN MOVE THE SNOW.

AND WE SAW THAT IN EFFECT THIS WEEK.

OUR TEAMS WERE WORKING HARD THIS WEEK.

THEY WERE WORKING OVERTIME AND DOUBLE TIME.

THEY WERE TESTING A LOT F NEW APPROACHES TO SNOW.

AND I THINK WE'LL FIND WE'VE LEARNED A LOT FROM THIS SNOWFALL THAT WILL GIVE US OPPORTUNITIES TO CONTINUE TO DO THAT, CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT THAT WE NEED.

>> Cathy: LET'S TALK ABOUT OLD BUILDINGS, St. PAUL HISTORY.

I KNOW YOU WERE NOT A BIG FAN OF THE JUSTICE RAMSEY HOUSE, YOU THOUGHT IT SHOULD BE DEMOLISHED, YOU ALSO GOT KIND OF -- YOU DIDN'T SIGN OFF ON THE MIDWAY IBRARY RENOVATION, SEEMS LIKE HAT'S GOING DOWN TO DEMOLITION, TOO.

TELL ME ABOUT YOUR -- JUST YOUR PHILOSOPHY ON HISTORIC PRESERVATION.

DO YOU BELIEVE IN IT?

>> SURE.

WELL, LISTEN, IT'S NOT THAT I'M NOT A FAN OF THE BUILDING.

IT'S THAT THE BUILDING HAS EXCEEDED ITS USEFUL LIFE AND THAT THE STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS THAT WE TALKED TO TOLD US WE HAVE A -- IT'S A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE THE BUILDING STARTED COMING DOWN ON ITS OWN.

SO IT'S NOT THAT I'M NOT A FAN OF THE BUILDING.

IT'S THAT I'M A FAN OF PUBLIC SAFETY, I'M NOT A FAN OF BRICKS FALLING OFF BUILDINGS.

I'M NOT A FAN OF HAVING STRUCTURES CRAPS -- CRAPS IN OUR COMMUNITY.

SO, WE HAVE FOLKS WHO WOULD PREFER A SCENARIO HAPPEN OR NOT HAPPEN.

OF COLLAPSE.

AREN'T NECESSARILY BRINGING RESOURCES TO THE TABLE.

AREN'T NECESSARILY BRINGING AN ALTERNATIVE PLAN TO THE TABLE.

ONE OF THE THINGS AS MAYOR, WHEN THERE'S NO IDEAL SITUATION, WHEN THERE'S NO IDEAL ROAD, YOU STILL HAVE TO PICK A ROAD.

AND, SO, IT'S CERTAINLY NOT THAT I WASN'T A FAN OF IT.

IT'S AN INCREDIBLE PLACE THAT HAS A LOT OF HISTORY OF IT.

IT'S ALSO THAT WE HAVE TO KNOW THAT WE HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO KEEP PEOPLE SAFE IN OUR COMMUNITY.

WHERE THE HAMLINE MIDWAY LIBRARY IS CONCERNED, WE HAVE A WHOLE NEIGHBORHOOD WHOSE WRAPPED THEIR HEARTS AND MINDS AROUND THIS OPPORTUNITY THAT WE HAVE TO HAVE A BRAND-NEW STATE-OF-THE-ART, AMAZING PUBLIC LIBRARY RIGHT THERE THAT'S ACCESSIBLE TO ALL OF OUR CHILDREN.

THAT'S NOT WHAT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW.

AND WE EVALUATED THE OPPORTUNITY TO TRY TO ENOVATE THE EXISTING BUILDING, THE FOOTPRINT DOESN'T MAKE IT SUCH THAT IT'S EASY TO RENOVATE FOR ACCESSIBILITY, FOR SAFETY, FOR KIND OF EASE OF USE.

AND, SO, WE MADE THE DECISION THAT IN THIS CASE, AGAIN, WITH A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, WE MADE THE DECISION THAT THIS COMMUNITY GETS A BRAND-NEW PUBLIC LIBRARY AND WE'RE EXCITED TO DELIVER IT FOR OUR COMMUNITY.

>> Eric: IF THE LEGISLATURE AND THE VOTERS APPROVE, YOU'D GET A 1% SALES TAX HIKE.

WHAT WOULD THAT MONEY GO FOR?

>> OUR STREETS.

THREE-QUARTERS OF IT WOULD BE FOR STREETS, ONE-QUARTER OF IT WOULD BE FOR OUR PARKS.

WE SAW JUST THIS WEEK HOW CRITICAL OUR STREET NETWORK IS.

WE GOT A MASSIVE SNOWFALL, TOOK IT FROM US FOR A MATTER OF HOURS, UNTIL OUR FOLKS DID SUCH A GREAT JOB PLOWING US OUT.

BUT THAT STOPS SCHOOLS, THAT STOPS ECONOMIC ACTIVITY, THAT STOPS US FROM GOING OUT FOR A DRINK, THAT STOPS WORK, THAT STOPS ALL -- EVERYTHING, ALL OF OUR GOALS FOR OUR CITY.

WE HAVE TO HAVE A STATE-OF-THE-ART, RELIABLE INFRASTRUCTURE NETWORK IN OUR COMMUNITY.

>> Eric: ALL RIGHT.

>> WE KNOW, I'M A St. PAULITE, SO WE KNOW, OUR BIRTHRIGHT IS COMPLAINING ABOUT OUR STREETS.

THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO MAKE THE TYPES OF CRITICAL INVESTMENTS THAT CAN GET -- PASS OUR CHILDREN THE STREETS WE KNOW OUR CITY DESERVES.

>> Eric: THANKS VERY MUCH.

WE'LL HAVE YOU BACK, MORE DISCUSSION TO COME.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

>> C