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BOE’s Gabbard
says she outspent
foes because of need
to defend family name

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By Crystal Kua
Star-Bulletin

Newly-elected Board of Education member Carol Gabbard raised and spent more money than any other school-board candidate in what is undoubtedly the most expensive BOE election ever.

But Gabbard said the amount that her campaign took in and used was necessary to defend her and her family from being "demonized" by those she called "homosexual activists."

"I never planned to spend this much, but during the last three weeks of the campaign, there was a vicious and aggressive campaign of vilification against our family name," Gabbard said.

On Thursday, Gabbard filed her campaign-spending report electronically for the period from Oct. 24 to the Nov. 7 general election. The Campaign Spending Commission posted the report yesterday.

It shows she took in $52,578 during the reporting period, for a total of $69,649 throughout the campaign season.

Contributions came from across the state and the mainland with Gabbard's mother, Elsie Porter of Fort Meyers, Fla., contributing $6,108 in newspaper advertising and giving Gabbard a $10,000 loan. Gabbard said she also put in $30,000 of her own money.

The Alliance for Traditional Marriage and Values contributed $1,000. The political action committee, founded by Gabbard's husband, Mike, was created during the fight against same-sex marriage in Hawaii.

Expenditures during the reporting period came to $44,329 for an election total of $62,513.

Gabbard spent much of her money on TV advertising: $17,211 at KHON, $13,723 at KGMB, $8,759 at KITV and $4,890 at KHNL.

She also paid $208 each for radio spots on KAIM, KGU and KHNR and $124 on KLHT.

While Gabbard has $7,135 cash on hand, she ended the period with a deficit of $20,175 because of $27,000 in debts.

The debts consist of $16,000 in loans from her mother and herself and $11,000 in expenditures.

Gabbard said some of those unpaid expenditures have been retired, but $8,400 she loaned to the campaign to pay for TV ads has not been repaid.

Her closest competitor, incumbent Garrett Toguchi, who came in fourth in the race for three at-large seats, raised and spent five times less.

His donors include the Hawaii Government Employees Association, the Hawaii State Teachers Association, the AFL-CIO, Citizens for Equality Hawaii and current BOE members Winston Sakurai and Shannon Ajifu.

In the days before the election, several sign-waving demonstrations were held against Gabbard's candidacy.

The Board of Education had also approved a controversial rule change that included "sexual orientation" as a protected class against harassment.

Gabbard said she turned to her family savings and sought financial help from her mother to reply to the attacks.

"My husband and I decided there was no choice because the Gabbard name was essentially being demonized."