Carol Molnau
Encyclopedia
Carol Molnau was the 46th Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota
. She formerly served as head of the Minnesota Department of Transportation
(Mn/DOT). She is known for her opposition to state funding of the mass transit systems of the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan area.
Born in Carver County, Minnesota
, she was elected as a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives
in 1992 and served five terms. Molnau announced she would not run for re-election after she sold her farm to developers and would no longer be living in the area she represented. She joined the Pawlenty ticket shortly thereafter, and was elected Lieutenant Governor in 2002.
would drop Molnau from his ticket when he sought re-election in 2006, mainly because of their differences over state funding for the planned Northstar Commuter Rail linking St. Cloud
and the Twin Cities. Pawlenty denied those rumors on August 1, 2005 and Molnau remained on the ticket, winning reelection on November 7, 2006. Then, in January 2007, as part of a renewed threat to remove her, Senator Steve Murphy opined that under Molnau the state's transportation infrastructure was "crumbling."
and Interstate Highway 35W
. Molnau's office required applicants to pay all construction projects as they did the work, with the state reimbursing the contractor over the course of the project. As a result, no contractors submitted bids and the project was shelved until new funding streams could be developed a year later.
bridge collapse some lawmakers publicly questioned her dual role as Lieutenant Governor and Transportation Commissioner. However, Molnau defended her roles, citing her predecessor, Mae Schunk
, who was active in education throughout the state.
Fallout from the I-35W bridge collapse was evident in a January 2008 Minnesota Public Radio
/Humphrey Institute poll, with only one in four Minnesotans approving of the job she was doing as Mn/DOT
commissioner. State Senator Steve Murphy responded by saying that the Minnesota Senate
would remove her if she does not step down from her post as Mn/DOT chief.
On February 28, 2008 Molnau was removed from her position as Transportation Commissioner by the State Senate by a party-line, 44–22 vote. Pawlenty considered her ouster a disappointing partisan move while legislators saw failures of leadership and management.
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
. She formerly served as head of the Minnesota Department of Transportation
Minnesota Department of Transportation
The Minnesota Department of Transportation oversees transportation by land, water, and air in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The cabinet-level agency is responsible for maintaining the state's trunk highway system The Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT, pronounced "min-dot") oversees...
(Mn/DOT). She is known for her opposition to state funding of the mass transit systems of the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan area.
Born in Carver County, Minnesota
Carver County, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 70,205 people, 24,356 households, and 18,778 families residing in the county. The population density was 197 people per square mile . There were 24,883 housing units at an average density of 70 per square mile...
, she was elected as a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives
Minnesota House of Representatives
The Minnesota House of Representatives is the lower house in the Minnesota State Legislature. There are 134 members elected to two-year terms, twice the number of members in the Minnesota Senate. Each senate district is divided in half and given the suffix A or B...
in 1992 and served five terms. Molnau announced she would not run for re-election after she sold her farm to developers and would no longer be living in the area she represented. She joined the Pawlenty ticket shortly thereafter, and was elected Lieutenant Governor in 2002.
Confirmation as Mn/DOT commissioner
The Minnesota Senate Transportation Committee voted in March 2004 to remove Molnau from her position as commissioner of Mn/DOT with some lawmakers citing that she lacked vision for the transportation needs of the state. The full senate later voted to confirm her. In Summer 2005, rumors began circulating that Governor Tim PawlentyTim Pawlenty
Timothy James "Tim" Pawlenty , also known affectionately among supporters as T-Paw, is an American politician who served as the 39th Governor of Minnesota . He was a Republican candidate for President of the United States in the 2012 election from May to August 2011...
would drop Molnau from his ticket when he sought re-election in 2006, mainly because of their differences over state funding for the planned Northstar Commuter Rail linking St. Cloud
St. Cloud, Minnesota
St. Cloud is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the largest population center in the state's central region. The population was 65,842 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Stearns County...
and the Twin Cities. Pawlenty denied those rumors on August 1, 2005 and Molnau remained on the ticket, winning reelection on November 7, 2006. Then, in January 2007, as part of a renewed threat to remove her, Senator Steve Murphy opined that under Molnau the state's transportation infrastructure was "crumbling."
State Highway 62
In 2006, Molnau requested bids for a major highway reconstruction of Minnesota State Highway 62Minnesota State Highway 62 (east)
Minnesota State Highway 62 is a highway in the Twin Cities region of Minnesota. The route was part of Hennepin County Road 62 until 1988, when a portion of the route was inherited by the state. The western terminus of the route is at Interstate Highway 494 in Eden Prairie, where the roadway...
and Interstate Highway 35W
Interstate 35W (Minnesota)
Interstate 35W , is an Interstate Highway in the U.S. state of Minnesota, passing through downtown Minneapolis. It is one of two through routes for Interstate 35 through the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, the other being Interstate 35E through downtown Saint Paul...
. Molnau's office required applicants to pay all construction projects as they did the work, with the state reimbursing the contractor over the course of the project. As a result, no contractors submitted bids and the project was shelved until new funding streams could be developed a year later.
I-35W bridge collapse
In 2007 the I-35W Mississippi River bridge collapsed in Minneapolis. Molnau was unable to immediately assist in her capacity as Commissioner of Transportation because she was in China at the time. Molnau responded to complaints over her absence by stating she was presenting a paper on transportation. Subsequently some state legislators blamed her for her role as transportation commissioner for failing to advocate for robust funding of the state's transportation infrastructure, while Governor Pawlenty continued to support her. Molnau was a controversial transportation commissioner; while she does not have a college degree and said she did not read bridge inspection reports, she frequently promoted herself as a transportation expert while refusing to ask for funding to fix hundreds of problem bridges in Minnesota. She defended her leadership, citing that three members of her leadership team were engineers. The bridge that collapsed was one of those problem bridges that inspectors found to be structurally deficient. The required repairs were not made before the tragedy. A plan to strengthen the fatiguing steel trusses under the bridge was scrapped, some claim in part due to the $2 million cost of those repairs, although Mn/DOT engineers "scoffed" at the suggestion that this was a major factor in the decision. From 2003 through August 2007, Mn/DOT had reduced its staff of 4,500 by 600. Her critics claim that her focus was on new roads—not maintenance of existing ones. In September 2007 the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported that Molnau's Director of Emergency Response was attending a class at Harvard on Emergency Response. The Director did not return when the bridge collapsed, and proceeded to spend several days in Washington, DC before returning to Minnesota over a week later. The Director has since been terminated after the outcome of an investigation by the State's Legislative Auditor and the Department of Transportation.Removal as transportation commissioner
After the Interstate 35WInterstate 35W (Minnesota)
Interstate 35W , is an Interstate Highway in the U.S. state of Minnesota, passing through downtown Minneapolis. It is one of two through routes for Interstate 35 through the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, the other being Interstate 35E through downtown Saint Paul...
bridge collapse some lawmakers publicly questioned her dual role as Lieutenant Governor and Transportation Commissioner. However, Molnau defended her roles, citing her predecessor, Mae Schunk
Mae Schunk
Mae A. Schunk served as the 45th Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota from 1999 to 2003...
, who was active in education throughout the state.
Fallout from the I-35W bridge collapse was evident in a January 2008 Minnesota Public Radio
Minnesota Public Radio
Minnesota Public Radio , is the flagship National Public Radio member network for the state of Minnesota. With its three services, News & Information, Classical Music and The Current, MPR operates a 42-station regional radio network in the upper Midwest serving over 8 million people...
/Humphrey Institute poll, with only one in four Minnesotans approving of the job she was doing as Mn/DOT
Minnesota Department of Transportation
The Minnesota Department of Transportation oversees transportation by land, water, and air in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The cabinet-level agency is responsible for maintaining the state's trunk highway system The Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT, pronounced "min-dot") oversees...
commissioner. State Senator Steve Murphy responded by saying that the Minnesota Senate
Minnesota Senate
The Minnesota Senate is the upper house in the Minnesota Legislature. There are 67 members, half as many as are in the Minnesota House of Representatives. In terms of membership, it is the largest upper house of any state legislature. Each Senate district in the state includes an A and B House...
would remove her if she does not step down from her post as Mn/DOT chief.
On February 28, 2008 Molnau was removed from her position as Transportation Commissioner by the State Senate by a party-line, 44–22 vote. Pawlenty considered her ouster a disappointing partisan move while legislators saw failures of leadership and management.