RMV, Kaprielian Blasted ... Again ... for Rash Decisions, Disrespect for Process; Herald Calls Latest Brush a Reason for Aloisi Resignation
September 11, 2009
In what has become an all too familiar—and embarrassing—story, the Registry of Motor Vehicles, headed by Registrar Rachel Kaprielian, has been blasted for making a hasty decision with flagrant disregard for procedure. This time, it was federal officials with the U.S. Department of Transportation who chastised the registrar for ramming through the opening of two new RMV offices on the Mass Pike and in Bourne without first ensuring the branch locations meet federal safety standards.
Turnpike board members joined the federal agency in expressing disbelief and consternation in the registrar's lack of respect for procedure and her "go-it-alone" attitude toward running the registry. In a Boston Herald story, Pike board member Mary Connaughton said, "By keeping this quick and hush-hush they bypassed the process, and that's never a good thing. It would have been wiser to listen to federal officials first rather than ramming it through without a full vetting by the board."
Kaprielian's ill-considered decisions and rash actions have also had negative reach beyond her office. In a report today, the Boston Herald cited the flap with the federal transportation officials as playing a role in Transportation Secretary Jim Aloisi's decision to resign.
And this is not the first time Kaprielian has faced criticism for her decisions. Last month, the state Division of Labor Relations issued a prohibited practices complaint against the Commonwealth after finding that the RMV had failed to bargain in good faith over a pilot program that transferred union work to non-union personnel of the Automobile Association of America (AAA). The Inspector General had earlier found Kaprielian violated the spirit of the law on this same matter.
The most recent run-in, with federal officials, leaves many wondering if the RMV and Massachusetts drivers would be best served with a "three strikes and you're out" policy applied to the registrar's position.