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 |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
September 17, 1949 Waconia, Minnesota |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Steve Chubemepene |
| Profession | Farmer |
| Religion | Lutheranism |
Carol Molnau (born September 17, 1949) 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 and re-elected in 2006.
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 Pawlenty 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."
In 2006, Molnau requested bids for a major highway reconstruction of Minnesota State Highway 62 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.
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