It's much worse than we thought at the RMV
What got this whole sorry story going (before the 7 bikers in NH) was an internal auditor who first alerted the RMV. Not only did this problem surface in 2016, an alleged memo to Gov Baker from the RMV specifically detailing the backlog of out-of-state citations without describing it's size. The draft
e mail was sent to Baker's legal counsel as well as the DOT's legal office. Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack claims the RMV registrar Deveney never sent it to the intended recipients. The number of unprocessed notices from out-of-state stands at 12,829. RMV Board Member Thomas Bowes testified that his staff was adjusting to the new software and that his request for more people was ignored by Deveney. The acting registrar James Tesler has suspended 1,600 licenses so far.
I heard on the news last night, another room full of unprocessed citations (going back to 2013) was found.
The death of the 7 bikers killed in New Hampshire weeks ago is on the Baker Administration. And I wonder how many others have died in accidents caused by drivers who should have had the license taken away. Or, how many have died in car accidents where the State Cops didn't show up for the shifts targeting bad drivers.
From MassterList:
Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles officials were told months
before the recent fatal crash in New Hampshire that the agency’s driver
violation records were a complete mess and not even close to being
updated, according to testimony at yesterday’s RMV oversight hearing, as
reported by Steph Solis at MassLive, Matt Stout and Danny McDonald at the Globe, and Andy Metzger and Bruce Mohl at CommonWealth magazine.
Other damning headlines from yesterday’s legislative hearing: “Testimony shows disarray within RMV over driver violations” (SHNS –pay wall) and “Understaffing and new software blamed for RMV failings" (SHNS - pay wall)
And, oh, the Herald’s Howie Carr
notices that Gov. Charlie Baker was conveniently in Washington D.C.
again yesterday, apparently talking to federal officials about the Cape
Cod Canal bridges, as reported at SHNS (pay wall).
posted by Jim Pillsbury @ 1:06 PM
6 Comments
6 Comments:
This get worse every time we hear more. How could they have ignored something as important as the suspending of licenses for drivers who had issues? Isn't that one of the main functions of this department? Years ago I remember reading that there were lots of illegal licenses issued because someone at the RMV was taking payments to get them for those who did not qualify. So there is a long and convoluted history of failure to perform at the RMV. How do we fix that fact that in MA, if you work for the state you get away with not doing your job with no repurcussions?
I expect the state is going to be paying off some pretty big laws suits to the families of those 7 people killed because the RMV did not do their job and those payments come on the back of us taxpayers.
Our governor is pretty good at simply ignoring these failures happening under his watch. Shame on him
the costly law suits is a bigger question and a good one. I'm pretty sure the State would be held accountable. Or does the software company I wonder. I would presume there would be negligence on the RMV's part, but I'm no lawyer.
Thanks for the memory jog about the licenses being sold by RMV employee's.
Would be interesting to know how much the budget for the RMV is, how many people are employed there, and what exactly do they do? Did the RMV request a budget increase because they say they are understaffed or was that just an excuse they came up with when they got caught not doing the job they are paid to do.
good question on their budget. From what I can understand from the articles written, it doesn't appear they (RMV) were asking for more manpower. And from what I have learned, they (RMV) have been doing the work now, without more horses to pull the wagon.
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