| 01/19/2005 |
| State DMV chief resigns |
| By GREGORY B. HLADKY , Capitol Bureau |
|
HARTFORD -- Gary DeFilippo of Shelton
will resign effective Feb. 1 as commissioner of the state Department
of Motor Vehicles, which has been wracked by corruption
investigations and problems with the state’s new auto emissions
testing program. It was unclear Tuesday whether his departure
was his idea or that of Gov. M. Jodi Rell. The DMV has become a
major political embarrassment to Rell.
"It has become clear in recent weeks that the Department of Motor Vehicles faces many complex challenges that can best be addressed by providing new leadership with a new vision for this agency," the governor said in a prepared statement. "The department is on the front line of homeland security, given its responsibilities for issuing licenses and other documents that can be used for identity purposes," Rell said. "There are few issues more critical to the safety of our state and our nation than protecting the integrity and security of the licensing processes." Rell’s spokesman, Dennis Schain, declined to provide a clear answer to the question of whether the resignation was entirely voluntary or if Rell asked DeFilippo to step down. "The commissioner submitted his resignation and the governor accepted it," Schain said. DeFilippo, who spent about seven years at the DMV as deputy commissioner and then commissioner, said in a letter to agency employees that he was resigning "for personal and professional reasons." "By stepping down, I am giving the governor an opportunity to designate new leadership in this agency as part of her effort to ensure the confidence of the public in the working of state government," DeFilippo wrote. DeFilippo had also submitted his resignation to Rell in July, when she requested that all of former Gov. John G. Rowland’s top appointees hand in letters of resignation. But at that time, DeFilippo’s wasn’t one of the half-dozen resignations or retirements that Rell accepted. Last April, state officials suspended the troubled, six-month-old vehicle emissions program, run by Agbar Technologies, over concerns about the accuracy of test results, improper testing by some inspectors and the possibility that hundreds of drivers may have paid for unnecessary repairs. DeFilippo announced in October that DMV had reached an agreement with the Chicago-based contractor that allowed it to resume the testing program on Nov. 12, 2004. Rell said in her prepared statement Tuesday that she will announce her plans for providing new leadership at the DMV by Feb. 1. DeFIlippo is a former Republican town chairman in Shelton. State Rep. Richard Belden, R-Shelton, said he has known DeFilippo and his family for decades. "Gary is in charge, and I think he has done a good job," Belden said. "When you’re at the top you’re responsible for what is going on at your agency, whether you were involved or not. I wish him well. . . . I know he is a good person. . . . " The announcement of DeFilippo’s resignation brought another call from the state Senate’s top Democratic leader, Donald E. Williams Jr. of Brooklyn, for Rell to ask for the resignations of all of Rowland’s top appointees. Williams wants Rell to then resubmit the names of those appointees she wants to keep to the legislature for reconfirmation. Rell has summarily dismissed his proposal as unnecessary. Register reporter Michael Gannon and the Associated Press contributed to this story. |
