This is the press conference Adam Giambrone gave on Wednesday. It can be dissected it to death, but we might never really know what he was really thinking. What strikes me most (besides the fact that he does not finish his statement himself) is that he doesn’t look up from the piece of paper. Barely once does he glance at the throng of media assembled to hear him speak.

Many people have asked why we should even care about what Giambrone, or anyone else, does in their own private life, and why we should care if he is or is not monogamous with his partner — whether she is his wife, or his partner. For me, it’s not about the cheating, it’s about the lying.

When this scandal broke, I immediately felt for Sarah McQuarrie. Not because she was the one cheated on, but because she was being lied to (if the allegations were true, which they obviously were). Giambrone lied to the press when first confronted about this, denying the affair. And in doing so, effectively lied to the people and voters of Toronto.

As a woman, but more importantly, as a voter, it is the lying that bothers me the most.

I am a firm believer that if you choose to go into the public service, your personal life is no longer yours alone. It is something you have to be willing to give up. I don’t expect my politicians to be perfect, but I expect them to at least be honest when it comes to basic truths. Many have compared Giambrone to Mel Lastman, who had his own extramarital affair brought to light while he was mayor, the difference was he owned up to it.

Looking at Giambrone, all I see is another John Edwards — except this time, it appears his partner had no knowledge of these affairs.

I remember how outraged people were when they found out not only did Edwards cheat on his dying wife, but he continued to run for president, even after his wife found out about it. They were outraged. But now, people don’t seem to bat an eye. Many think he could have stayed in the race and survived this hiccup.

Maybe.

But something tells me his decision to drop out was not because he thought his mayoral aspirations were done, but rather he had to do so for personal reasons.

While that may be giving Giambrone too much credit, it would be the decent thing to do — not for him, but for those around him.

Especially his partner.

Will there ever come a morning that people in Toronto wake up and we don’t hear that Adam Giambrone has had another affair? This is starting to feel like Tiger Woods all over again!

Wednesday morning, the Toronto Star reported on a statement he released to them late Tuesday night, admitting to multiple affairs and apologizing for his behaviour:

“In an effort to bring this chapter to a close, let me say I did have intimate relationships for a period that lasted throughout most of last year with women other than my partner. I apologize to them for the hurt I have caused. I regret deeply not having made this full disclosure earlier, to Sarah, my partner, and to my family, my friends and my supporters as well.”

Then news hit he was going to have a press conference at City Hall Wednesday morning.

Apparently he made a 90 second appearance, where he apologized to his partner Sarah McQuarrie, he left it to an aide to continue the statement and announce Giambrone is leaving the mayoral race. He would remain chair of the TTC and city councillor until the election.

In short, he had no choice but to quit.

There were two camps on Tuesday, those who asked why we should care about Giambrone’s personal life and those who were basically calling for him to be burned at the stake. As it most often does, the truth lies somewhere in the middle.

The thing is, once someone takes on a public role in society, their personal life is fair game. It may not be fair, but it’s the way it is. And while Giambrobne’s scandal is not the same as him fathering a child out of wedlock with another woman like John Edwards, it still should sting just as hard.

Perhaps some of the reason some people don’t see this scandal as being a big deal is because he and McQuarrie are not married (I believe I even heard that spin on the radio Tuesday). That should not matter — cheating is cheating, period.

It’s a shame to see Giambrone drop out of the race, if only because this year’s municipal election in Toronto was heating up to be an exciting one, even without John Tory and Michael Bryant in the mix.

At least he’s young, so there is a chance Giambrone can make a comeback at some point.

Some highlights of coverage from the past few days:

• The Toronto Sun’s Rob Granatstein’s comment on the scandal from (Tuesday morning).
• The audio from Giambrone’s Tuesday night statement to the Star (with video here)

Do you think Giambrone had to quit? Or could he have waited it out?