>> ERIC: WE START TONIGHT WITH NEWS OUT OF ST. PAUL.

EARLIER THIS WEEK, MAYOR MELVIN CARTER ANNOUNCED A PARTNERSHIP THAT WILL BRING $40 MILLION OF MEDICAL DEBT RELIEF TO THE CITY'S RESIDENTS.

THE MAYOR'S WEEK ENDED WITH HE AND OTHER CITY LEADERS ASKING RESIDENTS TO COME FORWARD WITH INFORMATION ABOUT ILLEGAL GUNS.

THE CITY HAS NOW HAD NINE HOMICIDES IN THE PAST TWO MONTHS.

MAYOR MELVIN CARTER JOINS US.

I WANT TO GET TO THE MEDICAL DEBT, BUT I WANT TO GIVE YOU A CHANCE TO MAYBE AMPLIFY WHAT YOU TALKED ABOUT DURING THE WEEK, MAYBE SOME CITIZENS STEPPED FORWARD ON THE GUN ISSUE.

>> YEAH, THAT'S RIGHT.

WE'RE REALLY PROUD OF THE PROGRESS THAT WE'RE MAKING ON GUN VIOLENCE.

WE TOLD THE CITY A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE ALL IN, THAT WE'RE GOING TO MAKE STALL THE -- St. PAUL THE BEST PLACE ON THE PLANET TO FIND OPPORTUNITY AND A SECOND CHANCE AND THE WORST PLACE ON THE PLANET TO FIRE A GUN.

OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT HAS BEEN WORKING REALLY HARD, WE'VE DOUBLED OUR CASE CLEARANCE RATES FOR NONFATAL SHOOTINGS, OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT ALMOST ALWAYS DOUBLES THE CASE APPEARANCE RATES FOR HOMICIDES, WE'VE BROUGHT DOWN A LOT OF VIOLENT CRIME.

OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS, WE'VE SEEN SOME BLIPS, OUTLIERS.

>> Cathy: WHAT'S WITH THE SPASM OF THIS VIOLENCE, THAT'S A LOT -- THINK OF THE HEARTBREAK, NINE HOMICIDES IN TWO MONTHS.

DO THE POLICE HAVE MAYBE A THEORY AS TO WHAT THE SPASM OF VIOLENCE IS ALL ABOUT?

>> YOU KNOW, THE THING IS, THEY'RE NOT REALLY CONNECTED.

SO THERE'S NOT ONE KIND OF THROUGH-LINE, BUT, YOU KNOW, THE FACT IS, DUE TO THE DECISIONS WE MADE AS A COUNTRY, THERE'S A LOT OF GUNS OUT THERE.

AND, SO, THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS WE GO ALL IN IS TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE GET GUNS OUT OF THE WRONG HANDS.

THIS IS WHERE THE PROGRESS WE'VE MADE SO FAR, WHETHER IT'S REDUCING JUVENILE VIOLENCE OR A GROUP-INVOLVED VIOLENCE HAS ALL BEEN ABOUT PARTNERSHIP WITH COMMUNITY SO IT FELT LIKE A GOOD OPPORTUNITY TO RE-UP THAT, REMIND FOLKS THAT OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT CAN BE TWICE AS GOOD WITH THE KIND OF HELP FROM COMMUNITY.

>> Cathy: YOU'RE ASKING FOR RESIDENTS TO SPEAK UP AND TO MAYBE HELP YOU ALL OUT.

ARE YOU HEARING FROM PEOPLE?

>> WE ARE.

AND THAT'S, AGAIN, THAT'S ONE OF THE BIG DIFFERENCES BETWEEN St. PAUL AND POLICE DEPARTMENTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY, WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO ENGAGE WITH COMMUNITY MEMBERS REALLY WELL, EVERY ONE OF THOSE SHOOTINGS HAS SOMETHING IN COMMON, AND THAT IS THAT THERE'S OFTENTIMES A PERSON WHO SAYS, I KNEW THAT PERSON SHOULDN'T HAVE HAD THAT GUN, AND IF THEY CAN HELP -- IF THEY CAN ENGAGE WITH US ON THE FRONT END, WE CAN HELP EVERYBODY AVOID TERRIBLE SITUATIONS.

>> Eric: 32,000 CITY RESIDENTS HAD MEDICAL DEBT ERASED.

>> 32,000 CITY RESIDENTS WILL GET A PIECE OF MAIL THIS WEEK LETTING THEM KNOW THAT THEIR MEDICAL DEBT IS NO LONGER.

>> Eric: HOW DID YOU TEAM UP WITH FAIRVIEW SYSTEM TO GET THIS DONE?

>> WELL, THERE'S THIS NATIONAL ORGANIZATION CALLED UNDO MEDICAL DEBT THAT WE PARTNERED WITH, THEY'RE REALLY GOOD AT WORKING, NEGOTIATING WITH THE HOSPITAL SYSTEMS.

WE ASKED FAIRVIEW, WE ASKED ALL OF OUR MAJOR HOSPITAL SYSTEMS LAST YEAR, THEY ALL SAID THEY WOULD.

AND, SO, FAIRVIEW WAS THE FIRST ONE TO GO.

WE WERE ABLE TO ELIMINATE JUST UNDER $40 MILLION OF MEDICAL DEBT ON BEHALF OF 32,000 RESIDENTS.

JUST EARLY ON THE WAY HERE, A RESIDENT STOPPED ME, SAID, THANK YOU, THIS GUY HAD A HEART ISSUE, FOUR YEARS AGO, WENT TO THE HOSPITAL, THEY RAN A BUNCH OF TESTS, FOUND OUT IT WAS A SIMPLE ISSUE, IT JUST NEEDED A SMALL KIND OF THING, BUT THE DIAGNOSTICS THEMSELVES COST $13,000 AND HE DIDN'T HAVE A JOB, SO HE HAD THAT BILL ON HIM.

HE DOESN'T HAVE TO PAY THAT ANYMORE.

HE'S EXCITED.

>> Cathy: WHY IS IT GOOD -- HOW DOES IT BENEFIT THE CITY TO HAVE THESE FOLKS HAVE THEIR MEDICAL DEBT ERASED?

>> YOU REMEMBER THE GLOBAL PANDEMIC WE JUST CAME THROUGH?

>> >> Cathy: YEAH.

>> ONE OF THE THING WE LEARNED IN THAT PANDEMIC IS HOW MUCH WE HAVE RIDING ON EACH OTHER BEING ABLE TO GO TO THE DOCTOR.

A FEW YEARS AGO WE CHATTED ABOUT THE FACT THAT St. PAUL DECIDED WE WEREN'T GOING TO DO LATE FEES ON OUR LIBRARIES ANYMORE AND WE ELIMINATED $2.5 MILLION OF LIBRARY DEBT, WE SAW DOUBLE-DIGIT LIBRARY USE.

MEDICAL DEBT KEEPS PEOPLE WAY FROM THE DOCTOR.

IT'S OUR BUSINESS, ALL OF US DID NOT LIKE GOING THROUGH THE PANDEMIC, IT IS OUR BUSINESS TO ELIMINATE HURDLES THAT KEEP PEOPLE -- KEEP PEOPLE FROM GOING TO THE DOCTOR -- DOCTOR.

>> Eric: THE CHILD CARE TAX WENT DOWN IN DEFEAT.

>> I THINK IT WAS PROBABLY STEEPED IN GOOD INTENT.

AS SOMEBODY WHO HAS A LOT OF EXPERIENCE IN EARLY CHILDHOOD, PUBLIC EARLY CHILDHOOD SYSTEMS, IT WAS CLEAR TO ME THAT IT WASN'T OPERATIONAL IN THE WAY THAT IT WAS WRITTEN.

OUR VOTERS HAVE A LOT OF GOOD SENSE THEMSELVES, AND, SO, I THINK FOLKS SAW IT AND, YOU KNOW, SAW IT FOR WHAT IT WAS.

WE HAVE A LOT OF INTEREST IN ENGAGEMENT AROUND EARLY CHILDHOOD AND HELPING PEOPLE.

ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE WON'T DO IN St. PAUL IS TELL YOU E'RE GOING TO DO SOMETHING THAT WE KNOW WE CAN'T.

>> Cathy: SO, THERE'S A SECOND TRUMP ADMINISTRATION.

>> I DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT THAT.

>> Cathy: THAT'S ON THE CRISP.

AND I'M WONDERING -- CRUMP.

I'M WONDERING -- CRISP.

WHAT ARE THE EXPECTATIONS OF LOCAL GOVERNMENTS UNDER THIS ADMINISTRATION?

WHAT ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT?

>> WE'RE GOING TO FIND THAT OUT REALLY QUICKLY.

WHEN I FIRST GOT ELECTED, THAT WAS IN THE SHADOW OF A BRAND-NEW TRUMP ADMINISTRATION.

AND, SO, WE'RE KIND OF LOOKING BACK AT SOME OF THE POSTURES THAT WE HAD THERE.

ONE OF THE CENTRAL PIECES WAS HOW WE ENGAGE WITH IMMIGRANTS AND REFUGEES IN OUR COMMUNITY.

AND, SO, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T KNOW WHAT ALL THEY'LL ASK OUR COMMUNITIES TO DO.

I'LL TELL YOU TWO THINGS WE KNOW FOR A FACT.

ONE, WE'RE GOING TO KEEP THE FLUORIDE IN St. PAUL'S DRINKING WATER.

AND, TWO, OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT WILL NEVER SK ANYBODY, OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT WILL NEVER ASK ANYBODY, NOBODY WHO WORKS FOR CITY GOVERNMENT WILL EVER ASK ANYBODY TO SEE ANY IMMIGRATION PAPERS OR ANY OF THOSE TYPES OF THINGS.

THAT'S NOT OUR JOB.

OUR JOB IS TO TAKE GOOD CARE OF EVERYONE IN OUR COMMUNITY.

>> Eric: WE KNOW THE LEGISLATURE'S TIED UP IN A TIE IN THE HOUSE.

PROPERTY TAX RELIEF BE A PRIORITY FOR MAYORS AROUND THE STATE?

>> I THINK PROPERTY TAX RELIEF IS ALWAYS A PRIORITY.

CITIES ARE ALWAYS KIND OF STRAPPED AND TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO DO MORE WITH LESS.

ONE OF HE BIG THINGS THAT WE'LL BE AT THE CAPITOL TALKING BOUT THIS YEAR IS, OF COURSE, THE XCEL ENERGY CENTER, WE'VE CHATTED ABOUT THAT BEFORE, WE REALLY NEED A RENOVATION.

THOSE BUILDINGS LAST -- GENERALLY HAVE ABOUT A 25-YEAR COMPETITIVE LIFE SPAN THAT.

BUILDING WAS BUILT IN 2000.

THAT BUILDING WAS BUILT IN 2000, IT WAS DESIGNED AND BUILT BEFORE THE PANDEMIC, BUT EVEN BEFORE 911911 SO IT'S -- 9/11, TWO GENERATIONS OLD.