Oct 11, 2007 12:00 am US/Central
1-On-1 Interview With Embattled Carol Molnau
by Amelia Santaniello
(WCCO)
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Since the Interstate 35W bridge collapse Lieutenant Gov. Carol Molnau has been criticized extensively for how she runs the Minnesota Department of Transportation.
CBS
She's Minnesota's second-in-command behind Gov. Tim Pawlenty and also the state's top transportation leader.
Since the Interstate 35W bridge collapse Lieutenant Gov. Carol Molnau has been criticized extensively for how she runs the Minnesota Department of Transportation.
WCCO-TV's Amelia Santaniello spoke with Molnau about that criticism and the process of re-building the bridge. In a one-on-one interview Santaniello asked Molnau about raising the gas tax to help pay for the bridge and other highway projects.Molnau: Well, I think that's part of the negotiations that the governor has put out there. He has said he would be willing to do a gas tax increase if it were offset with a reduction.
Santaniello: You would support that?
Molnau: Yes, if it's offset with a reduction in the lowest rate of income tax.
Santaniello: Has this been difficult for you being the Lt. Governor and the Commissioner of the Department of Transportation trying to balance and trying to work both jobs, I guess, in a sense, cause you have a lot going on here.
Molnau: We do. We have a lot going on here. That's why my office is here. This is where I report every day and this is what I do.
Santaniello: What do you say to those people who called for you to step down? You've heard that. What do you say to them?
Molnau: What I'd like to say is that we do an excellent job here at MnDOT. We are ranked one of the top MnDOTs or DOTs in the country and we have the recognition of many awards to show that year after year after year. We've been innovative. We've delivered more projects in the last four and a half years than were done 12 years prior. And that's an accomplishment. We focused very much on safety and on delivery.
Santaniello: Lt. Governor, I'm sure as you've noticed in the past couple months wherever you go people kind of think of the bridge collapse as our 9/11 here in Minnesota. When you first saw the bridge ... what was your first thought though. When you saw the magnitude of the destruction?
Molnau: It was, I was just totally in shock. I knew it was a gravesite. It was very hard to look at. I'm sorry. Excuse me. I still have a hard time talking about it without feeling for the people and their families.
Molnau feels she has become a lightening rod because she has a direct line to the Governor. She also talked much more about why MnDOT went with the highest bidder on the new 35W bridge and the political pressure she's feeling. To see those videos click on the links to the right.
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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