The Department of Motor Vehicles is an opportunity to make government work. The political official who figures this out will get a statue next to Nathan Hale.

No other governmental organization in the state has a more intimate and direct contact with its citizens. As such, many judge the effectiveness of state government based on their experiences at DMV.

My last trip to get plates and registration for a new car took just under six hours. To be clear, it only took about 45 minutes to get a “ticket.” I was told that I could leave and come back. If I missed my place I was out of luck. Certainly, if we can get a text on our phone for everything from airline departures to restaurant notifications that “your table is ready,” similar technology could be used at DMV.

DMV staff was polite, helpful and efficient, once I got to the counter.

If you go to a Bernie Sanders or Donald Trump rally, experiences such as “going to DMV” are the lifeblood of these campaigns, far more than any political donation. Our citizens here in Connecticut and across the country simply do not think government works.

In Flint Michigan, they are waiting in lines too, and not just at their DMV, but to get clean water. Getting clean water is more important than your vanity plate.

It is this seeming ineptitude of government and the lack of proper response that has voters so mad.

A year ago, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy appointed Andres Ayala commissioner of DMV. Ayala, a social studies teacher with a record of public service on the Bridgeport City Council and then as a state senator, brought little administrative or Information Technology experience to the job of commissioner. This was a political appointment, encouraged by Hispanic groups seeking more Hispanic representation in governmental leadership. I agree with that goal. There are certainly Hispanics in Connecticut, or somewhere in the country, who would have been better suited for this job.

With Ayala’s resignation, Malloy has now appointed Dennis Murphy, a long-time Malloy confidant, to “oversee” operations at DMV prior to selection of a permanent commissioner. Murphy brings crisis management experience having served Malloy as chief of staff to the Board of Regents during a change in leadership. Malloy calls Murphy his “troubleshooter.”

It is both easy and lazy to say, “Privatize DMV.” The canard that the “private sector” is always more efficient and is somehow this golden orb waiting to solve problems is fantasy. Ever try to talk to a cable company? I worked for a Fortune 250 company that required 22 steps to get approval on any expenditure over $2,000.

Privatize DMV, build a wall, carpet bomb them, are simple answers to complex problems.

Unlike many challenges to government, DMV presents multiple opportunities for success at the state level. Perhaps going across the country and learning from DMVs that operate efficiently could be a start. Or see how it’s done in other countries. Talk to the owners of CarMax. They process and collect data on every type of car sold. Perhaps here, the private sector could help.

The world is too complex, interdependent and reliant on information technology to allow for the continued appointment of political allies to critical positions such as directing DMV.

Over the past 30 years, the federal government had shifted many responsibilities and costs of government back to the states. The Affordable Care Act, education, environment etc., states today are responsible for so much more. Our first line of defense is not the Marines, but our local police force.

State-centric obligations like DMV operate largely outside federal regulations and present great opportunities for state political leaders to think creatively. And, more importantly, they provide the chance to show citizens that government can work.

Malloy faces increasing challenges from the dysfunctional DMV to General Electric leaving the state. Some may revel in the governor’s low poll numbers. I always want our governors to be successful. Malloy has faced personal challenges in his life and more than overcome them by not accepting the status quo, but by thinking imaginatively o.

Perhaps now is the time for him to try the same tactics in governing, beginning with DMV.

Ben Davol, an unaffiliated voter, has served as a political consultant to a variety of political campaigns for both parties. He lives in Stonington.