Adam Giambrone says he has no intention of dropping out of the mayoral race despite recently admitting to an "inappropriate relationship" with a 20-year-old university student.
Since the news of the relationship made headlines Tuesday morning, Giambrone, councillor for Ward 18, has stayed mum — his Facebook and Twitter accounts both going silent. But the Globe has since reported a statement from John Laschinger, chairman of Giambrone’s campaign:
"In this day and age, the public expects their politicians to be frank and full and transparent with them. And I think Adam’s done that, as painful as it was. We’ve received a number of messages of support and sympathy for Adam. And you know, we’re proud of him and grateful for the expressions of support and we’re continuing to get on with the job of planning the campaign.”
Elsewhere, the story’s newsworthiness has been the subject of hot debate. Over at the National Post, Paul Knox, chair of journalism at Ryerson University, suggests that when it comes to politics the line between private and public has grown thin, making the story a newsworthy topic.
Norman Wiseman, professor of Political Science at U of T, on the other hand, told Post City that he thinks it’s a complete non-story.
"If it comes out that he’s had an affair with a 14-year-old, that’s a story," Wiseman said. "If it comes out that this is like a Tiger Woods case, the guy’s been having sex with 42 women — mind you, he’s still not married — then people would start to think, well, you know maybe this guy wouldn’t spend that much time working in his office.
"But that isn’t the situation we’re in, and this is not an atypical falling out among alleged lovers."
