Carter campaigned on the theme that his background gave him special insight into how to manage the city's social and economic problems.

[4] After his older brother Michael was killed in a motorcycle accident when Carter was 13, he fell into drug and alcohol addiction, and was homeless for most of his late teens and 20s,[4] but when his sister Maureen gave him an ultimatum at age 31 that it was time for him to either sober up or die, he entered rehab and began to rebuild his life.

[4] He went onto a successful career in broadcasting, becoming executive producer of programming for the city's CHEX-TV,[5] as well as serving as a motivational speaker on topics including leadership, challenges of living in poverty, mental health and addiction.

[6] His campaign pledges in that election included the creation of an angel fund to provide financial assistance to new business startups, as part of a comprehensive economic diversification strategy.

[4] One of his main campaign themes in the mayoral election was improving access to health and social services in the city, in light of its ongoing crises with homelessness and opioid addiction.