Slog

News & Arts

Line Out

Music & the City
at Night

« The Sopranos: How Quickly It All Fa… | Stoop Reading »

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Homo Fleecing the Flock?

Posted by Dominic Holden on Thu, Jun 18, 2009 at 2:00 PM

Washington's anti-gay shepherds are marshaling their flock to gather petition signatures for Referendum 71, but they're also using the opportunity to raise some dough—but little of that money, apparently, is being spent on gathering signatures.

Records from the Public Disclosure Commission show that Gary Randall's organization, Faith and Freedom, is using the referendum to out-fundraise the group officially running the campaign. Protect Marriage Washington, the official sponsor, has raised $3,342, while Randall's Faith and Freedom PAC has brought in $6,669, PDC records show. Randall's group has only spent $1,553 so far—and what is he spending the money on? Paying himself, of course. Says Lurleen at Pam's House Blend:

On 5/29/09 Gary Randall's Faith & Freedom PAC paid Gary Randall's Faith & Freedom Network $900 for "Website mgmt for internet promotion of Ref 71" and $219 for "Website tech support." On first glance this is no big deal, but look a little closer and you'll see shades of shell gaming.

I've blogged about Gary's Ref 71 website before. In summary, the Ref 71 website that Gary set up is redundant and completely superfluous because Larry Stickney had already set up an official campaign website. Gary's Ref 71 website doesn't link to the official campaign website, and its donation button takes you to the Faith & Freedom PAC donation page, not to the donation page of the official referendum PAC.

In other words, Randall's not spending his money getting the referendum on the ballot; he's holding onto most of it and paying himself to build a bigger, better fundraising website. But if R-71 doesn't make the ballot—a very real possibility, given that they had fewer than two months to gather over 120,000 signatures and they're not paying petitioners—Randall will have a bunch of money left over, to, you know, pay himself. Seem like a transparent strategy? That's what he did in 2006 with the Faith and Freedom Foundation, the group's 501 (c)(3) wing, when he organized around Referendum 65. That referendum, intended to repeal a bill to block discrimination against gay people, didn't get enough signatures to make it on the ballot, but Randall did use his organization to promote the measure (and fundraise around the measure) and pay himself $53,877 for 15 hours a work a week.

Meanwhile, the group opposing the referendum, Washington Families Standing Together, has raised $8,224 and spent $2,903.

Comments (21) RSS

Oldest First Unregistered On Registered On Add a comment

Dominic, will you consider weighing in on the DoMA brief? I find it really curious that the Stranger has smart gay staffers that understand how legal and legislative process works and yet it's left to Dan to talk about that stuff. Dan's funny and sometimes insightful, but policy isn't his forte.

Especially curious about your opinion since it's relevant to the article in last week's paper about understanding how a bad legal strategy could result in a big setback.

Posted by Kevin Erickson on June 18, 2009 at 2:02 PM

I'd rather see Dominic tell us what's happening with national single-payer health care, where it's harder to figure out why 70 percent of America isn't getting what they want.

Posted by Will in Seattle

on June 18, 2009 at 2:14 PM

Or we could be civil and talk about the issue at hand.

Anyhoots, I think we need Lurleen to bring her math post over here, it's freakin' amazing. The one with how many signatures per hour per day they need and all that.

Posted by Baconcat on June 18, 2009 at 2:19 PM

$58,000 salary for working two days a week?

I'm totally in the wrong business.

Posted by COMTE

on June 18, 2009 at 2:37 PM

Well, I'm sure Loveschild feels her money is being well spent.

Posted by kim in portland

on June 18, 2009 at 2:37 PM

maybe they can cover the stats as 528.com did with the Iranian election?

Posted by Will in Seattle

on June 18, 2009 at 2:42 PM

I'm concerned that Washington Families Standing Together (the good guys) have only raised $8,224.00 Where are the big guns... and the small ones too? If you haven't given yet, you obviously should. www.wafst.org

Posted by I just gave 25 bucks you should too on June 18, 2009 at 3:02 PM

@5: All donors are listed on the PDC website, so it's not hard to find out if she's donated before or after Randall paid for his website.

Posted by Baconcat on June 18, 2009 at 3:03 PM

@ 8: It doesn't matter.

I'm going to go donate to Washington Families Standing Together along with ERW. I can catch up with BRO later.

Posted by kim in portland

on June 18, 2009 at 3:28 PM

@9: See, now where did her unfounded fears go? Vanished into the air.

Posted by Baconcat on June 18, 2009 at 3:36 PM

You know, part of me kinda hopes this does get on the ballot, just so everyone can see how badly it gets knocked down at the polls. But since it looks like the organizer doesn't really want it to make it, not much to worry about.

Posted by sepiolida on June 18, 2009 at 3:40 PM

I've said it before and I'll reiterate now. Let these bigoted fools throw their money at lost causes lead by hucksters and frauds. They waste their money on these referendums and propositions that go nowhere and pay people like Randall big money. That's less capital and will the next time. Like wave breaking against the rocks.

Posted by The Amazing Jim

on June 18, 2009 at 3:45 PM

For you, Baroncat, the most recent calculations.

Posted by Lurleen on June 18, 2009 at 3:53 PM

What doesn't this surprise me, even a little tiny bit?

Posted by Reverse Polarity on June 18, 2009 at 4:04 PM

@ 10: I've no idea, she said she did it, because of the bullying and nazi behavior of a group (can't remember their name, but they are part of KnowThyNeighbor). She's opposed to petition signatures and addresses being made public, but I thought once they had been confirmed by the Secretary of State they were became public record, and that anyone could view them, because that threatens people who don't support Domestic Partnerships from signing. I think our discussion is on this weeks "Cooler Heads" post.

Posted by kim in portland

on June 18, 2009 at 4:06 PM

@15: WhoSigned.org

Anyway, she expressed outrage at whosigned, but forgot that people who donate get their info posted online anyway. I asked you that first question, mainly to prove the lack of concern people have over her actual donation and the fact that her info is posted online (if she donated).

Basically, nobody is going to knock on her door because they don't care about her or her petty donations.

Posted by Baconcat on June 18, 2009 at 4:23 PM

@ 16,

Your likely correct, she may not have known that her information is out there by donating. And, your likely correct that no one cares about her donation. I didn't/don't except when she went on about being a supporter of Domestic Partnerships and being mistreated hear on Slog. It's my interpretation that she makes mountains out of mole hills, I'm not trying to malign her, but her posts indicate she has a lot of fear.

Yes, that's the group.

Posted by kim in portland

on June 18, 2009 at 4:44 PM

This is major deja vu re: Tim Eyman when he somehow failed to get enough signatures for 200X's Limit The Gayz initiative that year.

Randall's just worse and sloppier at failing than Eyman was, that's all.

Still knocking on wood that the signatures aren't gathered. Better to let time pass and let the borderline bigots realize their worlds didn't stop turning...

Posted by mackro

on June 18, 2009 at 5:05 PM

Dominic,

Religious leaders refer to their followers as a flock for a reason. They're all witless sheep.

Posted by Y.F. Redux on June 18, 2009 at 5:49 PM

Shouldn't we be happy that this asshole is stealing their money and doing nothing with it?

I mean, he's despicable, but what if they had an actual, honest-to-goodness leader. Then we'd have to worry more.

Posted by BombasticMO

on June 19, 2009 at 12:10 AM

The fact that Referendum 71 is being pursued, no matter how ineptly and/or dishonestly, is yet another reminder that a large portion of our society still regards gay men and women as second-class citizens - or worse. That is the salient point of my recently released biographical novel, Broken Saint. It is based on my forty-year friendship with a gay man, and chronicles his internal and external struggles as he battles for acceptance (of himself and by others, including fellow Mormons). You can learn more about the book at www.eloquentbooks.com/BrokenSaint.html.

Mark Zamen, author

Posted by Mark Zamen on June 22, 2009 at 6:12 PM