Carol Molnau

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Carol Molnau (born 1949) is the 46th Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota, also serving as head of the Minnesota Department of Transportation. She is known by supporters and critics alike in Minnesota 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 stepped announced she would not run for re-election as she sold her farm in 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.

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. However, on August 1, 2005, Pawlenty denied those rumors, saying Molnau will be his running mate in 2006, despite their differences.

Controversy

In 2006 Molnau requested bids for a major highway reconstruction of Highway 62 and Interstate 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 proect was shelved until new funding streams could be developed.

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