Gibson had affair with legislative aide

November 16, 2012

San Luis Obispo County Supervisor Bruce Gibson admitted to having an affair with his legislative aide and said he plans to seek a divorce from his wife. [SLO Tribune]

Gibson said the affair with Legislative Assistant Cherie Aispuro had lasted for a “fairly long time” during his tenure as District Two Supervisor. Aispuro, a longtime county employee, has served as Gibson’s assistant since he took office in January 2007.

While Gibson did not say when the affair began, sources reported to CalCoastNews that the supervisor was having an affair with someone in the county prior to his 2010 reelection.

Gibson said he does not plan to resign from his position, but he did say that he breached the trust of his constituents.

“Outside the hurt that I have caused in my family, I am embarrassed at the breach of trust that I have caused to occur with my constituents,” Gibson said. “Being an elected official does depend on a degree of trust between constituents and elected officials, and I feel this relationship and my concealment of it will cause people to question my integrity.”

Gibson said he first told his wife about the affair last weekend and then notified County Administrator Dan Buckshi and County Counsel Rita Neal on Tuesday.

Buckshi and Neal are investigating as to whether any misuse of county resources occurred.

“At this point, based on initial review of the situation, it appears that no county resources have been improperly used and no county policies have been violated,” Buckshi said.

County staff will reassign Aispuro, who has worked previously in the Clerk-Recorder’s Office, to a position in a different department.

Gibson, 60, described his relationship with Aispuro, who is in her early 50s, as “a matter of the heart,” but said that it did not interfere with their work.

“Both Cherie and I gave 110 percent to this job,” he said.

Gibson has two grown sons with his wife, San Luis Obispo doctor Grace Crittenden. He said he spoke up about the affair because he believed the news would spread after he told his wife.