Andres Ayala, Jr. DMV commissioner resigned from his post after a year amid numerous problems at the agency.
Andres Ayala, Jr. DMV commissioner resigned from his post after a year amid numerous problems at the agency.
Andres Ayala, Jr. has resigned as commissioner of the CT Department of Motor Vehicles in the wake of a department overhaul of a new computer system that created numerous problems. The new system, instead of improving services, led to long waits for DMV customers, revocation fo driver’s vehicle registrations and other issues.
After being an early Malloy supporter in his first bid for the Governor’s seat, Ayala, a former state representative and later a state senator from Bridgeport, was appointed as the first Latino commissioner of DMV.
CTLatinoNews.com reached out to a number of the state’s Latino delegation at the capitol for their reaction to the resignation. We heard back from two.
Rep.Jason Rojas, who represents East Hartford and a section of Manchester said, “Unfortunate…When doing a technology upgrade (there is) bound to be glitches. Unfortunately it happened under his watch. Ayala and governor made a decision to do what would benefit DMV.”
Rep. Christopher Rosario from Bridgeport sent a message he had posted on Facebook.
“First and foremost, I want to thank Former Commissioner Andres Ayala Jr. for his service to the State of Connecticut in his capacities as both a Senator and DMV Commissioner. In doing so he made history as the first Puerto Rican to do both. At his core, Andres has been a public servant and has served as a mentor and father figure to many young men in Bridgeport including myself. He has always been an absolute professional and always made sure that the task at hand was completed. I only wish that he was able to finish the job at the DMV. I hope to speak to Governor Malloy in the very near future because I feel that more could have been done to help make things right at the DMV. I wish Andres the absolute best and I know this isn’t the final chapter in his book
Editor: Rep. Rosario (D), Bridgeport has told CTLatinoNews.com he has called the Governor’s office about this but has not made contact.
Senate Minority Leader Len Fasano (R) also weighed in on the resignations. His statement, ” Andres Ayala tried his best at a very difficult time for the DMV. I believe he put in great effort, but unfortunately the challenges were far greater than anticipated. During his time in the state senate Ayala was a dedicated lawmaker who always worked hard to make sure the voices of his constituents were heard at the Capitol. I wish him the best in all future endeavors.”
On social media, Ayala’s departure expectedly generated much buzz among the state’s Latinos, who were quick to share their thoughts.
Robert Cotto Jr. Comparing the Courant’s coverage of DMV Commissioner Ayala vs. SDE Commissioner Pryor would be a great case study.
Fernando Marroquin SI always said that it was a bad idea to lose our only Latino Senator. I also think that the media played a major role on his decision; the man never got a break (perhaps because he was the only Latino?).
Yolanda Negrón I don’t know Andres personally. I do believe they should be dealing with whoever did the system “upgrade.” He didn’t do that part. Either department IT or private contractor did it. Now for those that were fined, their money is being reimbursed.
Yes, there were a few inconveniences; but if people took the time to look around them, there are people with REAL inconveniences in their lives. They are homeless, they have no food, they have a child/loved one suffering from cancer or some other life-threatening illness, etc. Life could be a lot worse. Be grateful that your TEMPORARY inconvenience was just that – temporary AND resolvable.
Eduardo Rocha DMV in CT really sucks. I wrote them a letter more than 2 months ago and they have not responded me yet when their obligation was to answer me in 10 labor days.
Anibal Perez He was useless anyways.
Yanil Teron DMV was a mess before he arrived. The system implementation was in progress before his arrival. Mr Ayala is just the fall guy for the errors from the past. The Latino community lost a good Senator and stellar advocate.
Sadly, racist Anglos are using his fall as platform for their bigotry.
Bessy Reyna Really sad. The place he inherited was a mess and they had the change over of computer systems. Bad for him and the Latino community. I agree with Yanil Teron.
Anita Cotto I agree with Yanil. That type of implementation had to have been in the works some time before he accepted the role. Not sure he was qualified to take on that role. Unfortunately he did. Sadly he is the fall guy.
Ramon Peralta Sounds like he was set up to take the fall. It’s too bad. Hope he lands in a better place.
