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Adultery never looks good on a political resume. But whether it is a career ender or just an unsightly smudge depends on the politician involved. Now, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom is another example to study in the interplay of sex and politics...
...Wednesday, the dashing, ambitious and hugely popular Democrat came crashing into a crisis. Alex Tourk, Newsom's buddy and campaign manager, abruptly quit after confronting the mayor about having an illicit affair with his wife, Ruby Rippey-Tourk, 34, who once worked as an appointment secretary to Newsom. Apparently, while in rehab for substance abuse, Rippey-Tourk told her husband about her affair with Newsom. Rumors about the apparently short-lived affair had been circulating for about a year, according to City Hall staffers. "I didn't pay that much attention," City Supervisor Tom Ammiano said. "I dismissed...
...Thursday morning, Newsom acknowledged the infidelity and apologized at a hastily organized press conference at City Hall. "Everything you have heard and read is true," Newsom told reporters, responding to a story that was first broken by the San Francisco Chronicle. "I am deeply sorry." The 39-year-old-mayor also accepted responsibility for his "personal lapse of judgment." Then, he pledged to work hard at "reconciling" and regaining the trust of citizens and his staff. The briefing lasted just minutes. No questions were taken leaving pundits, politicos and regular San Franciscans shaking their heads wondering about what's next...
...works closely with Newsom. "It's what this has done to the internal organization. Alex Tourk is a very popular, well-regarded figure throughout City Hall. There is the loyalty question now that we all know this is true." Then, there's the judgment question - what, exactly, was the mayor thinking...
...There is a tarnish now," says Ammiano. In light of Newsom's extramarital affair, Ammiano and others voiced concern about the mayor's ability to focus on the business of the city - and the morale of his administration. Recently, Newsom fended off critics who suggested he should have attended the Conference of Mayors in Washington D.C., where 260 U.S. city leaders gathered to discuss the plight of their jurisdictions, rather than jetting off to the Swiss ski town of Davos for the World Economic Forum. In defense, Newsom's press secretary Peter Ragone tells TIME that "The mayor's commitment...