Lt. Gov. Yvonne Prettner Solon is ready to address her political future amid mounting speculation she will not join her boss in his quest for a second term.
Prettner Solon has called a news conference Tuesday morning, one day after she discussed her plans with Gov. Mark Dayton. It also follows months of hints that she is not happy in the post, which had touched off a swirl of speculation as to who might replace her.
The 67-year-old DFLer has spent the last three years as a quiet leader in the areas of sustainable energy and broad transportation initiatives. Perhaps her most memorable feat came in 2012 when she did a tandem parachute jump and landed on the Capitol lawn to raise awareness for groups that support those in the armed forces.
"She's not there for her own ego," said state Rep. Tom Huntley, DFL-Duluth, who praised Prettner Solon's work helping seniors, the disabled and those in state hospitals. "She is not there to draw attention to herself. She is there to get the job done."
In St. Paul, Prettner Solon appears to have a distant relationship with Dayton. The former state senator hasn't had a high-profile role working with legislators and spends a lot of time at a satellite office in her hometown of Duluth.
Prettner Solon's role in the shadows of the Dayton administration was never more evident than at last week's Advisory Committee on Capitol Security when a clerk mispronounced her last name twice before she corrected him.
Dayton's administration has refused to discuss Prettner Solon's future on the ticket.
Asked late last week if he knew his lieutenant governor's decision, Dayton said "I think I have a pretty good idea."
