Running a DMV can be a thankless task. So when your agency lives in the public's crosshairs, it helps to have perspective.

Raymond Martinez ran New York's Department of Motor Vehicles 15 years ago. Now, he holds the same job in New Jersey.

"Nobody every wakes up in the morning and says, 'Oh, it's a great day to go to Motor Vehicles,'" he said.

So it's not surprising that DMV commissioners tend to focus on customer service.

But Paul Steely White, the head of advocacy group Transportation Alternatives, has a totally different conception of what the agency should be.

"The DMV really holds all the cards when it comes to insuring a minimum standard of behavior on our roadways, and really it's perhaps the quickest way to save lives," he said.

He wants the next commissioner to overhaul the agency. (The previous commissioner retired at the end of last year.) Specifically, White wants the DMV to reform the point system so that drivers who seriously injure people face stricter penalties; impose mandatory license suspensions for offenses like hit-and-runs; and make traffic court proceedings more transparent. He also wants the agency to raise the bar when it comes to drivers' education.

But flip through a list of former DMV commissioners, and you won't be bowled over by their transportation or policy credentials. Here's who held the job from 1966 onwards (with their previous title and the governor who appointed them):

• 1966 – 1973: Vincent Tofany, Monroe County Republican chairman (Rockefeller)
• 1975 – 1981: James Melton, Islip attorney (Carey)
• 1981 – 1983: Leslie Foschio, Buffalo attorney (Carey)
• 1983 – 1985: John Passidomo, supervisor of the town of Harrison (Mario Cuomo)
• 1985 – 1995: Patricia Adduci, Monroe County Clerk (Mario Cuomo)
• 1995 – 2000: Richard E. Jackson, former Peekskill mayor (Pataki)
• 2001 – 2005: Raymond Martinez, former assistant general counsel for Long Island Power Authority (Pataki)
• 2006 – 2007: Nancy Naples, former county comptroller of Erie County (Pataki)
• 2007 – 2011: David Swartz, former Erie County Clerk (Spitzer)
• 2011 – 2014: Barbara Fiala, former Broome County Clerk (Andrew Cuomo)

Consultant Richard Retting was New York City's traffic safety manager in the 1980s. He put it this way: "You couldn’t imagine appointing a police commissioner who didn’t have a law enforcement background," he said. "But when it comes to traffic safety, it’s viewed as an administrative job."

Having a political appointee in the role of DMV commissioner "doesn't mean it's somebody who's not qualified," Retting added. "But I would question — is it the most qualified?"

Martinez, the former DMV commissioner, cautioned that while DMV commissioners have a lot of power, it is not absolute.

"We respond to what the governor and legislatures want," he said. "The powers of motor vehicle commissioner in any jurisdiction are a creature of statute and regulation."

Governor Andrew Cuomo hasn't yet indicated what he's looking for in a DMV commissioner this time around.