Molnau fends off fresh criticism over her ability to lead MnDOT

When Gov. Tim Pawlenty appointed Lt. Gov. Carol Molnau to head the state Department of Transportation four years ago, he called her a one-woman "SWAT team" who would grab lapels, kick down doors and shake up the bureaucracy.

But in the aftermath of the catastrophic collapse of the Interstate 35W bridge across the Mississippi River on Aug. 1, it's the woman affectionately known around the State Capitol as "the rock" who finds herself on the defensive.

Although it may be months before the cause of the collapse is known, questions are intensifying about Molnau and whether Pawlenty will replace the self-described "common sense" leader who heads the agency responsible for overseeing the condition and safety of state roads and bridges.

So far, the governor has publicly expressed nothing but support, saying Molnau is "doing a good job."

And even Molnau critics say it would be wrong to assign blame before the evidence is in. Still, when Senate Transportation Committee Chairman Steve Murphy, DFL-Red Wing, was asked last week whether Molnau can continue to do the job, he answered, "No."

Molnau has said she has no plans to resign as transportation chief. But, said David Gaither, Pawlenty's former chief of staff: "She's in a tough spot no matter what happens. You're almost damned if you do and damned if you don't."

Criticism deflected

In the 12 days since the bridge collapsed, Molnau has juggled the sorrow of lives lost and those forever changed with steady criticism that the department she oversees may have been partly responsible for what happened.

In an interview Friday, Molnau was at turns resolute and confident in her ability to lead the agency and emotional about the tragedy. She insisted she had no inkling of the bridge's danger.

"If I had, the bridge would have been closed," she said.

She said she trusts the engineers who work for her and doesn't second-guess them, and defended MnDOT's decision-making despite evidence that the department knew of serious problems on the bridge.

"Do I look at the bridge inspection reports? No," she said. "I really believe we have professionals trained to do that."

At the same time, Molnau's voice cracked and she began to cry as she recalled visiting the scene the Saturday after the bridge collapsed.

"The site was very cold in the sense that you knew that it was a gravesite," she said. "It was devastating to me. I had a very difficult time seeing the site as most people would. I saw the cars and of course you think of the life lost, then you look around and see the workers, MnDOT employees, rescue, sheriff. ... It was tough for a lot of folks."

Resilient, unlikely leader

From the beginning, Molnau, 57, has seemed to be an unlikely leader for MnDOT.

She's a no-new-taxes farmer without a college degree heading an agency with 4,500 employees and a $2 billion annual budget that hungers constantly for road funding. By her own admission, she's a "not very polished kind of person."

But those who know her best say she has strength and resilience that could help her survive the political fallout of the bridge tragedy.

A 5-foot-8, former arm-wrestling champion, Molnau once beat former Gov. Jesse Ventura in a keg-tossing contest. When Ventura once accused her of harassing him by touching him during a TV debate, she laughed it off.

"She's a very hard worker with a lot of stamina," said state Rep. Mary Liz Holberg, R-Lakeville, a close friend.

Still, Molnau has always seemed a bit uncomfortable in the spotlight.

At a post-bridge collapse news conference last Monday, wearing white Capri pants and a nautical theme T-shirt, she praised the media's coverage, then turned the session over to her assistant, Bob McFarlin. She stepped away from the microphones and sat down.

At another news conference later in the week, she stood in the back of the room as a reporter questioned the legality of a consultant's contract involving bridge inspection. Molnau didn't respond. It was McFarlin who immediately seized on the implication and defended the agency.

McFarlin is a "wonderful liaison" for the staff, Molnau said. But to those who think she isn't in charge, "They haven't been there."

Molnau spent five terms in the House after serving on the Chaska City Council. She rose to chair the Transportation Finance Committee and was a fierce opponent of light-rail transit, favoring instead outstate and suburban projects.

In 2002, Pawlenty's desk-mate in the House became his running mate. In 2003, Pawlenty gave her a unique dual role. In addition to her duties as lieutenant governor, he made her the head of MnDOT, one of the state's largest and most important agencies. Molnau draws only her lieutenant governor salary -- $78,196 -- meaning the state doesn't pay a transportation commissioner's salary, typically $108,000.

Trail of controversy

Almost from the start, her tenure has been rocky.

To save money for road projects, Molnau in 2003 proposed cuts to the agency's workforce and so-called safety issues, such as snowplowing and road striping. One of her first responsibilities -- a reorganization of the department -- resulted in layoffs of more than 160 employees.

Critics were quick to pounce, saying she focused on new roads rather than putting the money toward a less sexy and popular option -- maintenance.

Later, Molnau came under heavy criticism for her agency's handling of the Crosstown highway reconstruction, a project that Peter Hutchinson, an Independence Party candidate for governor, once called the most bungled project in Minnesota history. The work was delayed a year when MnDOT asked contractors to front the money for it. Contractors didn't bid on the project.

A presentation of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees to the Legislature in February said more than 600 MnDOT/AFSCME positions have been eliminated during her tenure.

Some praise Molnau for making tough, if somewhat unpopular, decisions.

Former Rep. Bill Kuisle, R-Rochester, said: "I've talked to regional district engineers, and none have any complaints about how she's run the department."

Others, however, are less generous in their assessment of her performance.

House Transportation Finance Chairman Bernie Lieder, DFL-Crookston, has been critical of Molnau's overall leadership, saying she has been "conspicuous in her absence."

Another Transportation Finance Committee member, Rep. Alice Hausman, DFL-St. Paul, said MnDOT employees have covertly contacted legislators about transportation needs because Molnau refuses to be an advocate for funding, instead adhering to a firm no-taxes stand. "They can't ask for money when their boss doesn't allow them to," Hausman said.

Conflicts with governor

Molnau's loyalty to ideas has occasionally led her to defy her boss on issues such as the Northstar commuter line from Minneapolis to Big Lake. This past week, as Pawlenty broke from his no-new-taxes pledge in the wake of the I-35W disaster to say he was open to a gas tax increase, she repeatedly refused to give unfettered endorsement to the proposal.

The bridge catastrophe has not shaken that belief. She said infrastructure is and should be a priority. "Are tax increases the only way to do that? The answer is no," she said.

Molnau compared her relationship with Pawlenty to a couple of friends taking a cross-country road trip who occasionally get on each other's nerves. She said they have personal differences, but are focused on doing their jobs well.

The state Senate has withheld her confirmation as transportation commissioner and could vote to reject her in a special session this fall that will address transportation funding.

The Senate also withheld confirmation in 2004, a time when she was also receiving criticism for a trip to the China International Fair of Traffic and Safety Products Forum. When the I-35W bridge collapsed, Molnau also was in China at the Great Hall ready to speak on traffic congestion. She left immediately and spent 13 hours on an airplane not knowing the casualty toll from the bridge.

Criticism mounts

With the special session looming, debate is likely to continue about Molnau's leadership. Industry observers say Molnau hasn't been as involved in the details of the job as her predecessors, though Molnau said she relies on the professionals at the agency and isn't a micromanager.

Rick Krueger, executive director of the Minnesota Transportation Alliance and a former DFL legislator, said other transportation commissioners have been more high profile.

Hausman said many insiders say McFarlin has more control of the agency, as evidenced by his central role during the news conferences following the bridge collapse.

But Kuisle disputes that. "Carol is not the type to abdicate and let somebody run the department. Absolutely not," he said.

Molnau insists she's in charge and defends the qualifications of her leadership team, pointing out that three of the six are engineers.

During a committee meeting Molnau attended in May about funding for infrastructure, Sen. Jim Carlson, DFL-Eagan, expressed concern for the state. He said: "What I am hearing here is just really starting to ... make me sad, because I'm seeing Minnesota deteriorate around me."

Then he asked Molnau about her legacy.

"I don't need to have something I can physically touch, but I do know that people today will look back and say these were the years that MnDOT tried to catch up when they weren't kept up for many, many years," she said. "And I think that will be our legacy, the fact that we tried to catch up, even though no one kept up before."

raolson@startribune.com • 612-673-1747 jtevlin@startribune.com • 612-673-1702