DMV plan doesn’t grab the wheel in race
Ned Lamont’s pledge to upgrade the Department of Motor Vehicles is akin to the New York Mets saying they will do a better job managing the parking lot while the team continues to languish. The difference is that the DMV is unavoidable (the Mets can be avoided). And, let’s face it, no one is going to root for the DMV in good times or bad.
The next governor won’t heal the ailing state with a more efficient DMV, but Lamont’s release of a strategy for the troubled agency makes some sense politically. Everyone can relate. You may not be able to process the state’s pension deficit, or the fine print of union contracts, but we stand united in our opposition to waiting in line.
The DMV is also a mindset, a go-to punchline for bad experiences. The agency could deliver one-minute waits tomorrow, but we’d cling to memories of burning personal days to return license plates.
The Connecticut DMV seems to be delivering on some promises in recent years, reporting a cut in average wait times from 76 minutes in November 2015 to 41 minutes last December. Still, it dwells at the bottom of state-by-state customer satisfaction ratings collected by the private website dmv.com.
In other words, there’s a possibility Lamont could make no changes if he took office and still reap the benefits of recent strategies.
His proposal does offer specifics, such as reducing lines by extending licenses from six to to eight years and registrations from two to three years. He also suggests opening DMV express offices in 20 town halls and leaving simple transactions to kiosks.
The kiosk strategy isn’t new — it is used in states such as Ohio and Illinois that have high customer satisfaction ratings — but it’s worth duplicating. Just consider how easier lines became at airports after kiosks were introduced.
In response, Lamont’s Republican rival, Bob Stefanowski, pulled the string on his recorded retort that Lamont is just a sequel to Gov. Dannel P. Malloy. He favors privatizing the functions of the DMV, as former Trumbull First Selectman Tim Herbst pitched before Stefanowski knocked him off the campaign trail. Independent candidate Oz Griebel also supports privatization.
Lamont called the DMV emblematic of what’s wrong with Connecticut. It is a convenient shorthand, but both candidates are going to have to be more specific about detailing their solutions to a myriad of other challenges before Election Day.
The DMV is one area where state residents can help improve the process, by better utilizing the DMV’s website or mobile app to download documents and ensure they make the trip to an office with the proper documents.
But residents are powerless to help steer the state on matters concerning infrastructure, education and pension debt.
The DMV discussion at least draws a distinction between candidates who have, so far, been vague on details. In the next 53 days, we need to know game plans to try to get Connecticut out of the cellar.
The DMV is one area where state residents can help improve the process, by better utilizing the DMV’s website or mobile app to download documents and ensure they make the trip to an office with the proper documents.