St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter on gun reform, affordable housing and ransomware attack

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter joined FOX 9 All Day live on Sept. 22 to discuss several topics impacting the city, including the ransomware attack, affordable housing and gun violence. 

Ransomware attack: Where St. Paul is now

Cyber attack:

Carter said teams worked 24/7 after St. Paul was hit with a ransomware attack over the summer to back up the city's data and work to get services back online. 

Carter says the city did not pay a ransom but the cost of responding to the attack and ensuring their cybersecurity is in better shape came at an "enormous cost," probably well over $1 million. 

Watch the full segment below.

‘We have to do something different’ to address gun violence

Gun reform:

Carter was among the mayors who called for change after the mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church and School in Minneapolis in August. He is a gun owner, and when asked about people who stand behind the Second Amendment, he stressed that something still needs to be done and there's a line to the Second Amendment — the question is, where is the line and where does it make sense. 

"We have to do something different," Carter said. "The one thing I told our council, the one thing I've told our legislative partners, the only thing I'm unwilling to accept is the notion that we shouldn't do anything, that we shouldn't change anything. We have to change something. And so, if somebody has a viable proposal on the table, I'd love to hear it. I'm not willing to accept us doing nothing."

Here's the full segment:

Affordable housing

Housing:

Carter stressed the City of St. Paul has to do everything it can to build as much housing as it can as fast as possible to address the affordable housing crisis. This could mean helping subsidize housing, allowing for people to build accessory dwelling units, and more. 

Watch the full segment below.