Feb 27, 2008 11:30 pm US/Central
Molnau Out? Upcoming Vote On Commissioner's Future
ST. PAUL (WCCO) ―
-
-
Democrats say Molnau hasn't been a forceful enough advocate for transportation. (File)
CBS
The fate of Transportation Commissioner Carol Molnau could be decided this week.
Senate Democrats are tentatively planning to hold a vote on her confirmation Thursday, and the caucus leaders made it clear she lacks the support to continue in her job.
The Interstate 35W bridge disaster may have signaled the beginning of Molnau's end, she was defiant to her critics and fiercely defensive of Minnesota Department of Transportation workers.
"If you really believe that any of us would compromise the safety of the motoring public, you're in the wrong place. Because we would not," Molnau said days after the bridge collapsed.
In a rare public interview with WCCO last year, Molnau was tearful when talking about seeing the collapse for the first time.
"I was just totally in shock. I knew it was a gravesite. It was very hard to look at," she said the WCCO interview.
Whether it was fair or unfair, Molnau became a symbol of Minnesota's transportation gridlock.
The Minnesota Senate is now preparing to fire her just days after a rare override of the governor's transportation veto, and the same week Minnesotans are bracing for bad budget news.
"I think that there's only so much bad news that one governor can take in one week, and you know this would be like the trifecta of bad news," said Sen. Steve Murphy, DFL Transportation Chairman.
However, Molnau is not just any commissioner; she's also the elected lieutenant governor.
She is refusing to resign as MnDOT chief, even as Governor Pawlenty is preparing a list of successors.
"We anticipate that that's the situation, unfortunately. And we'll name a replacement if it gets to that point as soon as possible," said Pawlenty.
Senate Majority Leader Larry Pogemiller wouldn't commit definitively to holding the vote on Thursday, but he has informed his Republican counterpart to prepare for the debate.
Pogemiller says people are "ready to put it behind us and move on."
The constitution gives the Senate the power to review gubernatorial appointments, and Molnau needed a fresh vote after Pawlenty began his second term. The outcome of the vote will have no direct bearing on Molnau's lieutenant governor post.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
Reporting
