Early in the day the news broke about 100,000 social security numbers sitting, unsecured, on the County Clerk’s website, I sat down with Tom Hasman, Democratic challenger for the County Clerk position. Now that the whole social security numbers issue has kicked this race up a notch, I’ll try to do a follow-up interview. And check out the pictures I took of his shirt. The logo is for a yearly conference called Defcon that talks about information security — that’s how into the subject Hasman is, which is good, considering his current job is all about securing government information. Hasman told me that the conference was currently taking place in Las Vegas and he wore the shirt as a tribute since he was unable to attend this year with the campaign.

August 6, 2008:

RT: How’s the campaign going? I predict this race will be the sleeper that takes everyone by surprise.
TH: The challenge is getting people excited about the Clerk’s race. There are many races this year in Monroe county - President, three competitive congressional races, three competitive State Senate races, and Assembly races. However, we have a dedicated group of people who have given a lot of their time to the campaign. We are running a grassroots campaign. I’ve attended farmer’s markets, carnivals, festivals, parades, and other public events throughout the summer and will continue into the fall. Voters are noticing our efforts. I think a lot of people are going to be shocked when we win on November 4.

RT: Is the media taking the race seriously yet?
TH: I’ve seen candidates for other races in the news a lot. I think the media are giving the state and federal races a lot of attention because that’s what on their mind. I believe that the media will provide more coverage of the Clerk’s race as we get closer to election day.

RT: What’s been the response from people?
TH: I get a lot of: “Ohhh, you’re running against” … and then there’s a pause. “Many don’t remember her name. Some have actually snapped their fingers while they try and think of it. Others have asked if I’m running against Maggie [Brooks.] Many are frustrated. I’ve spoken with some Republicans who are saying they will vote for me. Some talk about the Republican party in general: “Maggie…FAIR plan…MCC mess, what Steve Minarik has done to this party, he’s poisoned it…Had high hopes for Maggie, but she’s now part of the problem…Ren Square: what a disaster.” I believe they are ready for a change in leadership at the county level. They can’t vote against Maggie this year, so they’ll begin the drive for new leadership with a change in the Clerk’s office.

People say “Thank you for doing this. Thank you for taking her on. Thank you for taking them on.”

RT: Talk about going to Hamlin, other outlying areas typically considered GOP strongholds.
TH: I’ve been going to farmers markets in areas which traditionally have been Republican strongholds such as Fairport, Perinton, E. Rochester, Chili, Hamlin and Brockport. I have met some very loyal Republicans who tell me that they are voting for my opponent. However, I have also received a lot of positive responses including “It’s great to see a Democratic candidate out here” and “we definitely need a change in county leadership.”

RT: The GOP wants to frame you as a “nice boy” whose time hasn’t come yet. Condescending pat on the head. Similar to how they’ve been framing Obama. Thoughts?
TH: By saying that, do they mean that they’d be willing to vote for me in the future? It’s disingenuous. She’s [Dinolfo's] trying to run on the premise of “I protected you from terrorists.” I laugh when she says that because she was against a proposal that about 90% of New Yorkers were opposed to (including me). The proposal didn’t go anywhere and that would have happened without her frivolous lawsuit which wasted taxpayer money. If that’s the only think she’s running on, then she’s been a lousy clerk. I also think it’s interesting that she focused her ads on processing passports, which is an optional service of the clerk’s office, not a core function. Citizens can use other venues such as the post office to obtain a passport. She never mentions any of the Clerk’s core functions such as providing mortgage info (liens, etc.), filing County and State Supreme Court cases and running the DMVs. I am definitely the more qualified candidate. I have a background in Records Management working at the White House and currently protect computer networks from cyber crimes such as identity theft. My experience is an excellent match when we look at what the clerk does - manage county records and ensure the security of those records.

She competes with the post office on passports. She competes with the state on vehicle registration. She’s printing literature w/taxpayer money for “Renew Monroe” campaign, which advises against using the Internet for car registrations. She’s promoting government INEFFICIENCY: “Don’t use the Internet!” Did you ever think in 2008 you would have a government official telling you to go out of your way to not use the Internet to conduct business? I think it’s a safe bet to say that Internet is not a fad. It’s here to stay.

[Ed. note: And by the way, you can use those internets to protect your personal data: Hasman’s website has a way to officially request that your info be taken off the site. It takes about 1 minute to fill out the form and send the request.]

Related posts:

1. Nice MPN profile of Thomas Hasman
2. Hasman responds to the D&C
3. County Clerk: Unusual Moves from the Hasman Campaign
4. Hasman addresses the privacy violations at the Monroe County Clerks office
5. Sombody’s been paying attention