Former State Senator Andres Ayala’s service as DMV chief has crashed. What will Ayala do next? From Jon Lender, Hartford Courant:
Andres Ayala Jr. has submitted his resignation as state Department of Motor Vehicles commissioner after a nightmarish year of problems–including snafus with a new computer system, a tripling of wait times for DMV customers, erroneous revocation of drivers’ vehicle registrations, and the release of false information to the public.
Sources said Ayala Tuesday night submitted notice to the office of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy that he was resigning effective Friday, little more than a year after Malloy named the 46-year-old former social studies teacher and one-term Democratic state senator from Bridgeport as his first Latino commissioner.
After initially declining comment Wednesday morning, Malloy’s office confirmed at midday that Ayala is leaving.
“The Commissioner is a dedicated public servant to Connecticut, and I appreciate all of the work he’s done in so many different capacities both at the local and state levels,” Malloy said in a statement released to news organizations. “I want to thank him for his service and for his unwavering dedication to improving our state.”
Word of Ayala’s impending departure came two days after The Courant submitted a freedom of information request and questions on a subject that might have become the latest in a series of political headaches involving the beleaguered commissioner: This time it was the hiring of a fellow Bridgeport resident–who had pleaded guilty in 2006 of felony drug charges in state Superior Court and served time in prison–as a $36,000-a-year office assistant at DMV.
Full story here.
Well, since the question was posed, “What will Ayala do next?” I’ll wager he’ll return to collecting a handsome salary plus benefits from the Bridgeport BOE.
Recall in 2014 the BOE, by a 5-4 vote, approved Mr. Ayala would be allowed to return to his BOE pay/benefits level, in a four-year window. An open-ended four-year extension if Ayala should ever want it back. Wow.
Good point, Pete.
That same courtesy was extended to John Fabrizi. Ayala got thrown under the bus and fell on his sword. Former DMV Peters screwed up this computer platform from jump street.
“Courtesy?” Is that the function of government? To offer courtesy to some–the politically connected–and not to the great majority? Please.
Pete, perhaps the word precedent would have been more proper.
I’m Down On BRIDGEPORT when deals like this get cut. I believe in the Fabrizi case the election to a higher office is covered somewhere. I do not think the appointment to a state commissioner is.
Quit covering up for your boy Ganim or else I’ll be up yours.
Well the BOE, supported by you, voted for this exception. You need to get fingerprinted instead of finger-pointing.
Was at the DMV a few weeks ago. After they tried three times to process my paperwork, the clerk told me this. The computer program is 10 years old and was implemented because of the cost. $25 million and full of bugs. They were aware of this but Governor Dan said use it. $25 million, we have to use it! LOL.
Perhaps, or maybe I should use the word probably, Ayala was in over his head at the DMV (a notorious graveyard of public careers). A former student, whose opinion I have full trust in, reached out to me and said Ayala was a good HS teacher. Perhaps all’s well that ends well if Ayala returns to a career that better fits him. We need good teachers. I still believe in happy endings.
*** Well, it looks like Ayala was set up to be a (temp.) short-term sacrificial lamb on this DMV job. Outdated new/old computer system with all the possibilities of failure, good political brownie points for Malloy for hiring a Latino even if only for a short time. Media always looking for something negative on him because of his last name and prior political and legal problems concerning some family members, that has nothing to do with him. And now, after all the second-chance talk by the Governor and government money being spent by the DOC and CT Court Systems, etc. to push for educating, training and finding jobs for ex-cons, Ayala may also be blamed for helping this person get a job at the DMV, if there’s any truth to the rumor at all! Makes me wonder why the woman who was the DMV Commissioner before Ayala left the job in the first place. Did she see the writing on the wall or knew something Ayala wasn’t told? *** WHOOP ***
Pete Spain, welcome back, you know I’m hard to find but you just totally disappear, well I’m glad you’re back.
For whatever it is worth, if Andres returns to a BOE position, and if it contemplates a classroom covering Social Studies of any type, he will have some major experience to share with students, the kind that is not of the IVORY TOWER variety. More young people can be encouraged to participate on Boards and Commissions with intelligence and training or education on the purpose and history for the task at hand. Good civic governance is not the sound of one voice above all others or the power of a gavel to shut down discourse. Rather it is the hundreds of questions that get settled every day by diverse groups of community members, pursuing different tasks and facing problems and issues with the broad community interests in mind and the ability of the community to pay for that which it needs according to priorities. We are not there. Will we muddle our way in that direction? Can Andres help us muddle? Time will tell.