Embattled Connecticut DMV Commissioner Resigns

This story was updated at 1:37 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2016, to add a comment from Gov. Dannel P. Malloy.

Andres Ayala Jr., the embattled state commissioner of the Department of Motor Vehicles for just over a year, has resigned, effective Jan. 22.

The Hartford Courant reports that Ayala submitted his resignation to Gov. Dannel P. Malloy on Tuesday, which the governor accepted.

In a statement to the Connecticut Mirror Wednesday, Malloy said, “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. I want to thank him for his service and for his unwavering dedication to improving our state.”

Ayala, a one-term Democratic state senator from Bridgeport, was seemingly under fire at the department from the start, as computer and other problems plagued the DMV for weeks.

The department’s problems extended to law enforcement, with officers mistakenly pulling over some drivers because their vehicle registrations were showing suspensions or not having insurance when they were not suspended, according to NBC Connecticut News.

Additionally, the computer issues caused long lines of frustrated residents at DMV sites around the state last summer.

Click here to read the full story on the Hartford Courant website.