A new report by Fox 9 investigators has found officials in charge of developing Minnesota’s new system for licensing and registering vehicles (MNLARS) knew years ago that the system was headed for disaster.

According to the report, one analyst who worked on the project attempted to warn his superiors that MNLARS was set to become a “public and political spectacle.” When he was ignored, he brought his concerns directly to the governor’s office, but again those concerns were never acted upon. In addition, the story alleges that the manager directly in charge of MNLARS knew it was not ready, but rolled it out anyway.

State Senator Michelle Benson (R-Ham Lake) released the following statement:

“The Fox 9 report is not just troubling, it is infuriating. MNLARS leadership – including Gov. Dayton’s office – willfully ignored warnings that it was heading for a disaster. Their actions are directly responsible for the emotional trauma, stress, and financial damage this was caused for Minnesota families and small business owners.

 

“It speaks volumes that the governor’s first instinct was to dismiss this as political theater aimed at damaging his credibility. He needs to apologize to the people of Minnesota for not taking the MNLARS mess seriously, then he should stop making excuses and start fixing his disaster.”

Minnesotans are invited help drive improvements to MNLARS by sharing their experiences at MNLARSmess.com.