San Francisco mayor apologizes for affair
Confirms reports of liaison with key aide's wife
SAN FRANCISCO -- Mayor Gavin Newsom yesterday confirmed reports that he had an affair with the wife of his reelection campaign manager and apologized.
In a packed news conference, Newsom emerged to offer a brief, somber apology, taking no questions. "I want to make it clear that everything you've heard and read is true, and I'm deeply sorry about that," Newsom said. "I've hurt someone I care deeply about -- Alex Tourk and his friends and family. And that is something I have to live with."
Saying he is recommitted to the business of governing, Newsom went on to apologize to City Hall and the citizens of San Francisco. "My personal lapse of judgment aside, I am committed to restoring their trust and confidence. . . . We will now be working aggressively to advance our agenda in the city."
Newsom did not respond to questions from reporters and left the room.
He issued his apology after Tourk, his re election campaign manager and former deputy chief of staff, abruptly submitted his resignation late Wednesday, citing personal reasons.
Tourk had been one of the mayor's closest advisers, designing one of the Newsom administration's signature accomplishments: massive bimonthly gatherings, known as Project Homeless Connect and emulated nationwide, where the homeless are directed to services.
The disclosure of the reason for Tourk's departure, reported by the San Francisco Chronicle, startled voters and tarnished a mayor who has enjoyed a 70 percent approval rating and was widely thought to be considering an eventual competition with Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa of Los Angeles for a shot at the governor's seat.
Supervisor Tom Ammiano said Newsom's apology "rang true. But the real proof of the pudding is going to be behavior and performance in the future."
In January 2005, Newsom and his then-wife, Kimberly Guilfoyle, who was a Court TV legal analyst before moving to Fox News, announced that they had filed for divorce after three years of marriage. The couple cited the strain posed by their high-profile, bicoastal careers as the reason for the split.
