What Does It All Mean?

It's day three of this saga, and already we're sick of it. This whole business is sad and sordid and ugly and depressing, and we're pissed off at Gavin for putting us all through it. We've lost our appetite for scouring the Internet for links to all the angles on this mess. All you folks who got here by googling "Ruby Rippey-Tourk" can look elsewhere for pictures or juicy gossip. We'll leave that to the mainstream media.

Yes, we know that sex between two consenting adults is no crime. And no, we're not prudes or sensationalist media whores. But the real story is about trust and integrity. How can we trust our Mayor when he rewards his good friend and most loyal staffer by sleeping with his wife, and then hiding it from the poor bastard for a year and a half--even though half of the political insiders in town knew all about it? What other ugly secrets is he hiding?

How can we trust a Mayor who does that to a friend? How can we trust a Mayor who refuses to answer any questions about the affair? Or any questions from the Board of Supervisors? Or any questions from the public unless he can pre-screen them? How can we trust anything this administration says when their Press Secretary blatantly lies on camera and then refuses to apologize?

We all love this City, and it deserves better. Gavin says that he's "committed to restoring (our) trust and confidence"? Prove it. Are you committed enough to come out of your bunker and face tough, unscripted questions? Are you committed enough to meet with the Board of Supervisors, like the voters asked you to? Are you committed enough to face questions from people who disagree with you?

It would be one thing if he had a strong record in office. But from public safety to police reform to MUNI, the Mayor's record is full of empty promises, leaving him nothing to fall back on except his now-tarnished image and reputation.

Update 2/3: SFist covers the aftermath on the "day after the day after," from national coverage to analysis of how this will affect the rest of Gavin's term to what it means for Gavin's credibility.