Carol Molnau
Carol Molnau | |
---|---|
46th Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota | |
In office January 6, 2003 – January 3, 2011 | |
Governor | Tim Pawlenty |
Preceded by | Mae Schunk |
Succeeded by | Yvonne Prettner Solon |
Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Transportation | |
In office January 6, 2003 – February 28, 2008 | |
Governor | Tim Pawlenty |
Preceded by | Elwyn Tinklenberg |
Succeeded by | Thomas Sorel |
Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives from the 35A district | |
In office January 5, 1993 – January 3, 2003 | |
Preceded by | Redistricting |
Succeeded by | Redistricting |
Personal details | |
Born | Waconia, Minnesota, U.S. | September 17, 1949
Political party | Republican |
Spouse | Steve Molnau |
Carol Molnau (born September 17, 1949) is an American politician who served as the 46th lieutenant governor of Minnesota, from 2003 to 2011. As of 2024, she is the most recent Republican to have been elected Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota.[a]
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 had represented. She joined the Pawlenty ticket shortly thereafter, and was elected lieutenant governor in 2002 and re-elected in 2006.
She served as head of the
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.
State Highway 62
In 2006, Molnau requested bids for a major highway reconstruction of
I-35W bridge collapse
In 2007 the
Removal as transportation commissioner
After the Interstate 35W bridge collapse some lawmakers publicly questioned her dual role as lieutenant governor and transportation commissioner.[5] However, Molnau defended her roles, citing her predecessor, Mae Schunk, who was active in education throughout the state.[9]
Fallout from the I-35W bridge collapse was evident in a January 2008
On February 28, 2008, Molnau was removed from her position as transportation commissioner by the State Senate by a party-line, 44–22 vote.[11] Pawlenty considered her ouster a disappointing partisan move while legislators saw failures of leadership and management.[12]
Molnau's farm sale
In addition to the criticism following the I-35W bridge collapse, Molnau was also criticized for the sale of her family's farm in 2000 near a highway improvement project she helped put on a fast track. Then-state Rep. Carol Molnau and her husband Steve Molnau sold a 40-acre (160,000 m2) parcel of land for 3.3 million dollars near the Highway 212 project she had backed passed through the House of Representatives. Although the official sale date was May 23, 2000, 8 days after then-governor Jesse Ventura signed the Highway 212 project bill, Molnau stated that the sale had been in negotiations for several months. Additionally, a Carver County clerk stated that the sale date as recorded reflected the actual date of the sale, not the day of the real estate closing or the filing date.[13]
See also
References
- ^ Scheck, Tom (March 30, 2004). "Senate panel votes to oust Molnau". Minnesota Public Radio. Retrieved August 4, 2007.
- ^ Lopez, Patricia (August 3, 2007). "Gas tax increase appears certain". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on October 23, 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-04.
- ^ "BLOG ARCHIVE: AUGUST 2005". Politics1.com. 2005. Archived from the original on September 25, 2007. Retrieved September 4, 2007.
- ^ "Molnau could be on shaky ground in Senate". Minnesota Public Radio. January 26, 2007. Retrieved September 4, 2007.
- ^ a b c d e f Olson, Rochelle; Jon Tevlin (August 11, 2007). "Molnau fends off fresh criticism over her ability to lead MnDOT". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on October 25, 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-04.
- ^ Scheck, Tom (August 6, 2007). "Bridge Collapse Arms Molnau Critics". Minnesota Public Radio. Retrieved August 7, 2007.
- ^ Cohen, Sharon; Bakst, Brian (Associated Press) (August 2, 2007). "Minn. bridge problems uncovered in 1990". ABC News (abc.go.com). The Walt Disney Company. Archived from the original on August 20, 2007. Retrieved August 3, 2007.
- ^ a b Kennedy, Tony; Paul McEnroe (August 18, 2007). "Phone call put brakes on bridge repair". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on August 20, 2007. Retrieved August 4, 2007.
- ^ "Lt. Governor/Commissioner Carol Molnau Confirmation Hearing". Mn/DOT. March 30, 2004. Archived from the original on July 16, 2007. Retrieved September 4, 2007.
- ^ Scheck, Tom (February 1, 2008). "Poll: Molnau gets low marks as Mn/DOT chief". Minnesota Public Radio. Retrieved February 2, 2008.
- ^ Fecke, Jeff (February 28, 2008). "The other shoe falls: Molnau ousted from MnDOT post". Minnesota Monitor. Archived from the original on May 8, 2008. Retrieved February 29, 2008.
- ^ Saulny, Susan (February 29, 2008). "Minnesota Transportation Chief Is Out". The New York Times. Retrieved February 29, 2008.
- ^ "Molnau sold farm near road she pushed". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on March 30, 2008.
- ^ Michelle Fischbach became Lt. Gov. after Tina Smith resigned in 2018
- Minnesota Historical Society Archived November 7, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
- Minnesota Legislators Past and present