The sex scandal at San Francisco City Hall involving Mayor Gavin Newsom made for high drama Thursday. Staring into a crush of television cameras, Newsom stepped up to the microphone and, in hushed tones, admitting to an affair with his former appointments secretary, the wife of his good friend and campaign manager.
"I want to make it clear that everything you've heard and read is true," he said, "and I am deeply sorry about that."
Newsom isn't my mayor but I like the fact that he has been busy promoting gay marriage, universal health care and environmental firsts.
Alex Tourk had said only that he is resigning as manager of Newsom's re-election campaign for personal reasons but it was learned that Newsom, while in the middle of his divorce from Kimberly Guilfoyle, had a months-long affair with Ruby Rippey-Tourk. She's a former Santa Rosa TV anchorwho took a leave of absence from the mayor's office last summer and sought treatment for substance abuse in Arizona. She had once denied the affair to her husband, but last week told him it had occurred.
Newsom apologized to his former aide by name at Thursday's news conference, saying "I have hurt someone I care deeply about, Alex Tourk, his friends and family, and that is something that I have to live with." But Newsom also said he intends to carry on as mayor and keep running for reelection.
How damaged Newsom's political future might be has yet to be seen. But I was talking to some friends about this tonight and we all kind of agreed on this: It should not matter more than what kind of job he is doing as mayor. All of us felt that we would, no question, much rather have an unfaithful Bill Clinton leading our country than George W. Bush who by all acounts has been faithful to his wife. And it has more to do with competence than party affiliation.
But, that is something San Francisco voters will have to decide for themselves. I know that I will forever be grateful to Newsom for pushing for equal marriage rights and for allowing us, for a brief time, to experience the joy of something so many take for granted.