HARTFORD, CT) – 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 23^rd 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 128^th Assembly District.  He also previously represented the 137^th 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.

The mission of the DMV is to promote and advance public safety, security and satisfaction through the regulation of drivers, their motor vehicles and certain motor vehicle-related businesses.  Recently, the DMV has made significant progress towards streamlining services and modernizing its systems, such as:

·         Developed an online portal for customer services, starting with appointments for learner’s permits statewide.  No more waiting in line for them.

·         Broadened customer choice for service offices by listing online the real-time waits at each.

·         Increased from ten locations to over 200 statewide where required vehicle identification checks can be done.

·         Reduced managerial staffing by 20 percent.

·         Improved customer access to a variety of services by eliminating unnecessary rules and requirements (LEAN process).