Commission rejects campaign
complaint against BOE’s Gabbard

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By Rick Daysog
rdaysog@starbulletin.com

The state Campaign Spending Commission has dismissed a complaint against state Board of Education member Carol Gabbard.

The commission voted unanimously yesterday to reject charges filed in April 2000 by local resident Nancy Gillespie, who claimed Gabbard had exceeded campaign spending limits by using her home and business post office box, e-mail address and fax machine for campaign purposes.

Bob Watada, the commission's executive director, said the commission found the charges to be meritless. Gabbard's use of her own telephone number and business post office for her campaign in and of itself is not a contribution, he said.

Gabbard said Gillespie's complaint was part of a smear campaign by local homosexual groups. Gabbard's husband, Mike Gabbard, founded Alliance for Traditional Marriage and Values, which opposes same-sex marriages in Hawaii.

"This whole thing has been a continuation of the hateful campaign of harassment," Gabbard said.