Next Lt. Gov. has big plans for the job

Minnesota's next lieutenant governor is promising to change a job that kept many of her predecessors out of the public eye.

As Gov. Mark Dayton's former chief of staff, Tina Smith is already a trusted adviser and insists that she's ready for an active and visible role in the administration.

The Minnesota Constitution gives little direction to a lieutenant governor beyond the requirement to step in to fill a vacancy in the governor's office.

Smith said she's still figuring out what her role will be. She went to an old friend who knew what it's like to hold a second-banana job — former Vice President Walter Mondale.

"What the vice president told me is that one of the most important things that I can do is to be an adviser to the governor," Smith said. "I can really be his eyes and ears. I can get out, and people will talk to me and tell me things, and that's helpful to us. It keeps us from getting insulated and insular."

Smith will continue working on the Destination Medical Center in Rochester as chair of the board overseeing the massive economic development project. She said she also plans to work on other initiatives aimed at growing new jobs in other parts of the state.

Smith said Dayton is giving her a lot of freedom and flexibility. "He is incredibly generous about making sure that I have a chance to do what I want to do. I in turn want to do work that supports what his agenda is, because it's my agenda too," she said.

As chief of staff, Smith was one of Dayton's closest advisers during his first term. She became his running mate after Lt. Gov. Yvonne Prettner Solon decided not to seek re-election. Smith said she thinks the established relationship gives her a big advantage that previous lieutenant governors didn't have.

"The governor and I have had over four years of experience and practice as professional and political partners and friends," she said. "I think that means the level of trust between us is maybe a little different from what it has been for governors and lieutenant governors in the past, ever since they became elected together."

Dayton said he thinks Smith will be especially busy during the legislative session, when he's tied down and unable to attend many events. He said he's counting on Smith to be an active part of his administration.

"We haven't gotten into whether she'll pick certain policy areas or not. I would guess we'll overlap," he said.

Smith will have some of the same duties that Prettner Solon had the past four years. But there's no formal transition between the two. Prettner Solon told reporters last week that she had not even spoken with Smith.

Smith is downplaying speculation that she's among the Democrats eying a run for governor in four years. She said 2018 is a long way away, and her focus now is on being a good lieutenant governor.