The Minnesota Senate could vote today on whether Lt. Gov. Carol Molnau gets to keep her post as commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

In the wake of the Aug. 1 bridge collapse and again in January, this newspaper and many others urged her to step down from the role as commissioner. She hasn&8217;t.

Now we urge senators to remove her. The state constitution gives the Senate the power to review gubernatorial appointments. If she is removed, it will have no bearing on her role as lieutenant governor.

The department clearly needs someone with expertise in transportation issues. Counties are wise enough to appoint engineers to lead highway departments. It remains a poor decision by Gov. Tim Pawlenty to save $108,000 when he appointed a farmer from Lafayette to lead the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

Even if Molnau claims she is not to blame for the collapse, it did happen on her watch. The bucks stops at her desk. She is responsible for the state&8217;s highway infrastructure, and she should&8217;ve been honorable enough to accept that responsibility and step down. Furthermore, even if the bridge had never collapsed, the state&8217;s highways are crumbling while roads in neighboring states of Wisconsin and Iowa are in decent shape. She is not an advocate for roads, and many say she mismanages the department.

Senate Democrats have set time to debate but that doesn&8217;t mean a vote will or will not be held today. We urge legislators to have the vote, and we further encourage them to vote her out of the post.