Mayor McHottie's New Girlfriend -- Half His Age

Oct. 18, 2006 — -- Democrat and Republican, liberal and conservative -- they've all done it. From Newt Gingrich to Bill Clinton, Nelson Rockefeller to John McCain, politicians of all stripes have upheld one of the country's not-so-proud traditions: romancing women almost half their age.

But in our current era of political correctness and lack of privacy, that behavior has come under fire, exposing lawmakers to ridicule and sometimes leading to career-breaking scandals, such as the recent congressional imbroglio involving underage pages.

So, when the news first broke that San Francisco's popular 39-year-old mayor Gavin Newsom was dating a 19-year-old model and restaurant hostess (she's since turned 20), the city buzzed with gossip -- and more than a little scuttlebutt -- about the City by the Bay's newest power couple.

First, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that Brittanie Mountz, who played lacrosse for Sonoma State University, had suddenly changed her age on her MySpace page from 19 to 26. Then, the paper's political columnists scooped that Mountz, who is under the legal drinking age in California, was pictured holding a glass of wine at a recent gala that Newsom attended. The mayor's spokesman quickly responded that Newsom has never provided Mountz with alcohol, adding, "If she was drinking, the mayor didn't notice."

But is the city bothered by the mayor's May-October relationship? Not exactly. Some longtime observers expressed concern that the romance, along with his support for gay marriage, could prove to be a political liability for Newsom, who's considered one of the young stars of the Democratic Party and is expected to run for national office in a few years. (His approval ratings hover above 80 percent, and he appears to be cruising to re-election in next year's mayoral race.)

"Everyone expects him to have this big political career, but he makes a lot of bad choices," says one editor at a local paper. "[Newsom's ex-wife] Kim was always putting her foot in her mouth and now he's dating this girl who's barely out of college. He lets his hormones take over."

Indeed, Kimberly Guilfoyle Newsom embarrassed the mayor when she made some crude comments about her husband's physical endowment and sexual orientation at a gay rights fundraiser in 2004.