Newsom To Seek Counseling For Alcohol Abuse
SAN FRANCISCO -- Mayor Gavin Newsom said Monday that he plans to seek counseling for alcohol use, following the disclosure that he had an affair with the wife of a trusted aide.
Newsom, 39, said that while "my problems with alcohol are not an excuse for my personal lapses in judgment," he had stopped drinking and wanted professional help staying sober.
"Upon reflection with friends and family this weekend, I have come to the conclusion that I will be a better person without alcohol in my life," Newsom said in a statement.
Monday's revelation came less than a week after Newsom publicly apologized for his affair with Ruby Rippey-Tourk, 34, his former appointments secretary and the wife of his campaign manager.
Alex Tourk, 39, also the mayor's former chief of staff, resigned Wednesday after confronting the mayor about the relationship. Newsom is running for a second term in November.
Newsom said he would be receiving treatment from Mimi Silbert, the founder and director of the Delancey Street Foundation in San Francisco and that it would not affect his duties as mayor.
Delancey Street provides a residential program for hard-core addicts, including ex-convicts and prostitutes. Although the mayor plans to work with her on an outpatient basis, the program she has in mind for him will hardly be cushy, said Silbert, who met with Newsom over the weekend.
"The good thing, to me, is that he came and asked for help from a place he knows would not be light," Silbert said.
Delancey Street, which she founded in 1971, does not rely on the 12-step philosophy of Alcoholics Anonymous, but works to address the underlying reasons for excessive drinking, she said.
Citing privacy reasons, Silbert would not elaborate on how she planned to help Newsom, whom she described as "very serious" about getting help.
Since the scandal erupted over Newsom's affair, members of the city's Board of Supervisors generally have been restrained in their criticism of the mayor.
But Supervisor Chris Daly, one of Newsom's most outspoken critics on the board, said Monday's announcement raises several issues, "one of which is, is Gavin Newsom capable right now of attending to the very important business of the city."
When the mayor is away from San Francisco on vacation or for business, he appoints a supervisor to fill in as acting mayor. Under city law, if a mayor is incapable of performing his duties or delegating a substitute, the office automatically falls to the president of the Board of Supervisors.
Before taking office in 2004, Newsom founded a wine store, a string of highly successful restaurants and the PlumpJack Winery in Napa County.
Rumors of a possible substance abuse problem have dogged him since late December, when he allegedly showed up visibly intoxicated at a Friday night hospital vigil for a mortally wounded police officer.
SAN FRANCISCO -- Mayor Gavin Newsom said Monday that he plans to seek counseling for alcohol use, following the disclosure that he had an affair with the wife of a trusted aide.
Newsom, 39, said that while "my problems with alcohol are not an excuse for my personal lapses in judgment," he had stopped drinking and wanted professional help staying sober.
"Upon reflection with friends and family this weekend, I have come to the conclusion that I will be a better person without alcohol in my life," Newsom said in a statement.
Monday's revelation came less than a week after Newsom publicly apologized for his affair with Ruby Rippey-Tourk, 34, his former appointments secretary and the wife of his campaign manager.
Alex Tourk, 39, also the mayor's former chief of staff, resigned Wednesday after confronting the mayor about the relationship. Newsom is running for a second term in November.
Newsom said he would be receiving treatment from Mimi Silbert, the founder and director of the Delancey Street Foundation in San Francisco and that it would not affect his duties as mayor.
Delancey Street provides a residential program for hard-core addicts, including ex-convicts and prostitutes. Although the mayor plans to work with her on an outpatient basis, the program she has in mind for him will hardly be cushy, said Silbert, who met with Newsom over the weekend.
"The good thing, to me, is that he came and asked for help from a place he knows would not be light," Silbert said.
Delancey Street, which she founded in 1971, does not rely on the 12-step philosophy of Alcoholics Anonymous, but works to address the underlying reasons for excessive drinking, she said.
Citing privacy reasons, Silbert would not elaborate on how she planned to help Newsom, whom she described as "very serious" about getting help.
Since the scandal erupted over Newsom's affair, members of the city's Board of Supervisors generally have been restrained in their criticism of the mayor.
But Supervisor Chris Daly, one of Newsom's most outspoken critics on the board, said Monday's announcement raises several issues, "one of which is, is Gavin Newsom capable right now of attending to the very important business of the city."
When the mayor is away from San Francisco on vacation or for business, he appoints a supervisor to fill in as acting mayor. Under city law, if a mayor is incapable of performing his duties or delegating a substitute, the office automatically falls to the president of the Board of Supervisors.
Before taking office in 2004, Newsom founded a wine store, a string of highly successful restaurants and the PlumpJack Winery in Napa County.
Rumors of a possible substance abuse problem have dogged him since late December, when he allegedly showed up visibly intoxicated at a Friday night hospital vigil for a mortally wounded police officer.
