Vroom! Malloy Appoints Andres Ayala Motor Vehicle Chief

Ayala, Wyman, Malloy
Andres Ayala at podium will become new state commissioner.

During the campaign trail for a second four-year term, Governor Dan Malloy said one of his goals was naming Hispanics to leadership positions in his administration. On Monday Malloy announced he will tap Bridgeport State Senator Andres Ayala as commissioner of the Department of Motor Vehicles. So instead of taking the oath of office for a second term as state senator, Ayala will become a state commissioner and a special election will take place to fill his seat. Line up the candidates.

Statement from Mayor Bill Finch:

“I couldn’t be happier for my good friend, Sen. Andres Ayala. He has proudly served our state’s largest city as an elected official for more than a decade. Working together, we’ve accomplished a lot for the Park City. We’re building a second train station that will serve as an economic boon for East Bridgeport. We’re developing Steelpointe Harbor, which will create thousands of jobs, after years of broken promises. We re-opened Pleasure Beach after nearly two decades of neglect. We’re putting 5,000 solar panels and a fuel cell on an old and unused landfill. And, we’re ensuring more kids have access to quality pre-k. These projects are happening in part because of Sen. Ayala’s strong leadership in the State House. And, I look forward to working with Sen. Ayala in his new role.”

News release from Malloy:

Governor Dannel P. Malloy today announced that he intends to appoint Andres Ayala of Bridgeport to serve as Commissioner of the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) when his second term in office begins on January 7, 2015. Ayala will succeed Commissioner Melody Currey, who currently serves in the role and will soon be transitioning as the incoming Commissioner of the Department of Administrative Services.

“Andres has dedicated himself to improving the lives of not only the residents of the district that he serves, but also the lives of the children he teaches in Bridgeport’s school district,” Governor Malloy said. “I had the opportunity to get to know him during my first term in office as Governor, and I’ve consistently been impressed by his passion for public service and his commitment to finding new and efficient ways to improve government services. While I know the residents of his district won’t like to see him go, I am confident that his service as DMV Commissioner will benefit residents of the entire state.”

Ayala is currently serving his first term in the State Senate, representing the 23rd Senatorial District of Bridgeport and Stratford. In that capacity, he serves as co-chairman of two committees–the Aging Committee and the Regulations Review Committee. He is the first Latino to serve in the State Senate. Prior to obtaining that office, Ayala served three terms as a State Representative for the 128th Assembly District. He also previously represented the 137th Common Council District in the City of Bridgeport for five terms, where he became the first Latino in the city to hold the position of Council President.

In addition to his service in the legislature, Ayala is also a social studies instructor in the City of Bridgeport school district.

“I am grateful to Governor Malloy for receiving this appointment and look forward to serving in this new capacity,” Ayala said. “Nearly every adult has had some experience at one point or another with the DMV and understand some of the complexities involved in the agency’s task. During the last four years, Commissioner Currey has led the department through many changes to make it more effective. She has initiated significant steps towards streamlining, updating and modernizing its systems to not only make it more efficient, but less costly. I want to continue these necessary modernization efforts, and look forward to carrying out these goals with the Governor’s administration and the agency’s staff.”

Ayala holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s degree in education.

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22 comments

  1. The do-nothings just keep moving up the ladder. Now maybe he can tell us his real address. Maybe Finch can take over his senate seat and leave Bridgeport to recover from what he has done.

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  2. Congratulations to Andres Ayala. I wonder how those who worked or contributed to his campaign feel? Great opportunity for Ayala. Maybe an opportunity for Scott to try again. Time will tell.

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    1. Steven Auerbach, on this one I’m in total agreement with you. Scott Hughes ran a good campaign for this position this year and he would make a good State Senator.

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      1. OMG, Ron Mackey finally agrees with me. I am en route to Brennan’s Shebeen in Black Rock meeting friends who ran his campaign. I do not think they even know this latest development. Scott Hughes made a fine candidate and would be a great replacement for Ayala whom I also hold in high esteem.

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  3. I heard this rumor from three different individuals and it is purely rumor. I was told if Andres Ayala took his oath in January he was going to be prosecuted for the same offenses Christina Ayala is being charged with. There is absolutely no doubt John Stafstrom was involved in this appointment.

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  4. I was also told by four individuals Mayor Finch is already out and about promoting Andre Baker. I hope Andre Baker does run for this vacancy because I will have a little gift for him in Thomas Hooker, and it is called defeat.

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  5. Mayor Finch’s statement is nothing more than an illusion. BTW Bill, can you tell us where Nunn got $23k to hire an outside company to put up Christmas lights? Bill, could you send them to my house after Christmas to take the lights down?

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  6. Mayor Finch said, “a second train station that will serve as an economic boon for East Bridgeport.” How’s that going to be an economic boom for East Bridgeport, by providing parking spaces for Stratford and Trumbull residents to park?

    “We’re developing Steelpointe Harbor, which will create thousands of jobs.” Thousands of jobs from a bait and tackle shop, a Mexican restaurant and an overpriced coffee shop.

    Would someone please tell me where the hell those thousands of jobs are coming from or is this just another case of bloviating by the mayor?

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    1. Donald Day, the thousands of jobs will not be minimum wage jobs. They will be construction jobs, union laborers, contractors, electricians, masons, plumbers etc. These people will be spending money for breakfast and lunch over 20 years in that neck of the woods. It is the hope the site will also require college educated as well as high school graduates to work in hotels, nomenclature retailers as well as a corporation or two. Even if you took Mayor Finch out of the equation, these would be the facts for jobs no matter who took office. Something is always better than nothing. Jobs are always better than no jobs. Another train station does give developers a desire to invest in a neighborhood. Gentrification is a good thing for the neighborhoods and the City. How is it such a problem to see the benefits? The image alone boosts economic activity all over the city. Who in their right mind wants the City to remain a group of contiguous neighborhoods with blighted buildings, swanky prostitutes and drug dealers. Honestly, how limited is the vision of so many on this blog? So JMl, Bridgeport may not realize taxes immediately, that would have happened under any Mayor and to think otherwise you’d have to have your head stuck up your ass. To conveniently overlook the thousands of men and woman who will be working putting the dream together is silly. Jobs jobs jobs and economic development. This is the only Way to improve our city. The city would do well to turn their backs on all the naysayers as they would stall any progress we have waited decades to realize. It is exhausting to listen to all this negativity. On a brighter note, Obama’s numbers are heading up and the economy is the best since 1999. If Steelepointe doesn’t explode during a robust economy and the City doesn’t continue to market the City then there is little hope.

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  7. Steve, there are not thousands of jobs for construction workers. The building that is going up for Bass Pro is precast concrete that requires one crane operator and three iron workers, none of whom live in Bridgeport. I know this because my son knows all the workers on the site. It will be interesting to see how many from Bridgeport will be working for Bass Pro.

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  8. Andy, sometimes I watch the other side just to see what’s up, but you have a Happy Holiday as well.

    Steve, poor Steve, you say those thousands of jobs will come from construction jobs, union laborers, contractors, electricians, masons and plumbers, so that was negotiated so that 30 percent of those workers will be Bridgeport residents? NAH! Have you ever been to a working construction site, for the most part they don’t leave the construction site to go to lunch, it’s brought to them via the food truck, delivery or bring their own food.

    Where’s this hotel of which you speak? There is a large bait and tackle shop, a Mexican restaurant and a high-priced coffee shop. If there something else in the pipeline then you can rest assured we would have heard about it heading into 2015, the election year. Right!

    Finally Steve, you say gentrification is good for the City? Gentrification is the result of sweetheart deals between the public and private sectors that never pay off for the public. The transformation is intentional, massive and swift in a completely sanitized city, filled with brand-name mega-developments built for the luxury class. The poor, working and middle classes are pushed out and that’s what’s best for Bridgeport to you. Really?

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  9. Steve, I am absolutely stunned you actually stated “gentrification is good thing for the neighborhoods and the City.” I think it is safe to say the thousands of minorities who live on the East Side and East End would likely take an opposing view.

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