Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Watch: The End of a Political Career
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s admission that he has a relationship with TV anchor Mirthala Salinas comes less than a month after he announced his separation from his wife of two decades, Corina Villaraigosa. She filed for divorce the next day.
City Councilman Antonio Villaraigosa is interviewed by reporter Mirthala Salinas of Telemundo at Factor’s Famous Deli on May 19, 2005 in Los Angeles
The Los Angeles Times finally followed up: Mayor reveals romantic link with TV newscaster
At 4 p.m. on June 8, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa issued a terse statement announcing that he and his wife, Corina, were separating after 20 years of marriage.
Two hours later, Telemundo television anchor Mirthala Salinas delivered the story to her Spanish-language viewers on the Friday evening news.
During the course of a television interview on June 19, 2006, Villaraigosa walks with Salinas outside the state Capitol.
“The rumors were true,” she declared of the split after an introduction that described the story as a “political scandal” that had left “many people with their mouth open.”
What Salinas, 35, did not say in the newscast was that she was the other woman. She and Villaraigosa, 54, had been in a relationship even though she had previously been the political reporter assigned to cover local politics and the mayor.
On Tuesday, prompted by a report in the Daily News of Los Angeles, Villaraigosa officially confirmed what had long been whispered around City Hall.
“I have a relationship with Ms. Salinas, and I take full responsibility for my actions,” he said at a news conference after a swearing-in ceremony for school board members at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion downtown.
By late afternoon, the Channel 52 anchor had issued her own confirmation.
Mirthala Salinas, a Telemundo newswoman, interviews L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa at the state Capitol on June 21, 2006. Villaraigosa has now acknowledged that he has “a relationship” with Salinas.
Telemundo 52 reporter Mirthala Salinas, top left in red, at a news conference by Villaraigosa outside Gov. Schwarzenegger’s office in Sacramento on June 20, 2006, when the mayor was stumping for a bill that would give him more control over the L.A. Unified School District.
The Los Angeles Times readers are not too happy with the Mayor.
Flap says put a fork in Mayor Villar – He’s Done.
And as for Ms. Salinas, she will probably be fired ala Kyung Lah, but, hey she has Antonio, right?
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa tells reporters, “I have a relationship with Ms. (Mirthala) Salinas, and I take full responsibility for my actions.” Salinas is an evening anchor for Telemundo, Channel 52.
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Technorati Tags: Antonio Villaraigosa, Mirthala Salinas, Telemundo
25 Comments
Joshua
Truly, this is a real tragedy, for his (soon to be) ex-wife and two children. Pray for them, all of them, they must be going through a very difficult time.
It sad to see the promising future Villaragoisa once had, end so suddenly. And please, don’t tell me that it hasn’t because he’s done. He (had) a very attractive wife, don’t know what his problem is. Its a shame in every angle you look at it.
KIre
He’s a lier. She’s a tramp. End of story.
DJ
How is this any different than what Rudy did to his wife when he was mayor? I don’t get it.
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Flap
Couple of differences:
Salinas is a member of the press who covered him and the other politicos she dated.
Mayor Villar used Salinas’s press connections to benefit himself politically.
Rudy IS paying a price for his infidelity.
Anon
What is he wearing in that full shot photo, a zoot suit?
Well, it is too bad for Mrs. V., but she has been living under no illusions about what she was married to for a long time and was willing to put up with it. She assisted him in his deceptions when he was campaigning. Sorry, limited sympathy there.
No, never had a promising career, the guy has always been a lying, slimy zero … he was always just playing a waiting game of “how long till they find me out?”
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I knew her when
I knew her when we were both 18. We were very good friends until she slept with a higher up at channel 33 in Phoenix so she could get an on air job. She broke up with her boyfriend AFTER the TV exec got her the gig. I never spoke to her again.
Once a status seeking whore, always a status seeking whore.
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Adriana
There are many people who say, “who cares who he sleeps with as long as he get the job done in the city.”
Well I for one CARE as he is not getting the job done … and perhaps now we know why. Juggling women in extramarital affairs is time consuming and requires a web of tangling stories and deceit to pull off. Doesn’t speak well for his character nor integrity. It does matter.
First, he ran his campaign heavily on a “family values campaign with his wife and kids paraded out to craft the golden family man image,” as he was shacking up elsewhere. He used his family to create the image of someone he clearly is not. We have had enough politicians of this ilk. It’s the lie and the spin that lacks integrity–the very virtue we need in our leaders today. Have we not had enough of the lies and abuses of power on a national level to make us wake up and hold these elective officials who work for us.. accountable for their indiscretions? Yes! We cannot dismiss this –this is who this man is. What else does he lie about behind that glaring smile?
Do we care about honesty and character–yes, he can sleep with whom he wants, but where is his character? Does this guy have any concern for his wife’s humiliation? That of his children? That of the anchor who will lose her job and be labeled the tramp as he goes on to run for Governor? For those who say, it doesn’t matter. It matters. We cannot afford our leaders to lie anymore. People say, what’s new? Rudy did it, Bill did it.. they are still at the top of their game. Well.. the voters are changing the game –we need leaders with real conviction and sense of service.
More than anything, we need a better Los Angeles and a better economic landscape — we are in serious need of real leadership in this city–not slick media crafted ego driven playboy taken with his power and ambition leading our city. He tossed a wife of twenty years aside a second time publicly without care of the humiliation it would cause her and he has the nerve to ask for privacy. He leaves his children to go to school or the playground with everyone knowing their dad the mayor is a cheater and a liar… and where was his sense of service and respect for all the voters and Latinos especially who believed in him to make this a better place for all of us to work in, be safe in and prosper in. He wasn’t thinking about any of us or his family.
But many still say.. “as long as he’s doing the job… that’s all that matters.”
If that is the case.. then he is in real trouble. Not only does he lack integrity and character, he is an ineffective mayor–press and media ops aside–travel and cover stories promoting his golden brown boy image Hillary was hoping could help her with the Hispanic vote, aside– If you look at the trivial matters here at home in the city–playboy Tony has proven terribly unimpressive.
If he is juggling a handful of different women, perhaps that explains why he has not been able to attract more business to Los Angeles, invigorate a slumping housing market or get his education reform ideas to go anywhere. What has this mayor done other than do a great deal of traveling and courting a national audience for further ambitions down the road. Once again, we who believed in one of our own–put our hopes in just another man full of his own ego with no qualms being selfish and careless with the huge honor and responsibility given him by the voters. So many of us really did believe Antonio was a man we could believe in– would be there to make history for Latinos and make us proud– We had the hope he could make Los Angeles a prosperous and safe and bustling city –what a huge disappointment. We do not need this kind of character to be our future governor much less our mayor.
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My Two Cents
To Anon: Mrs. V wasn’t the one who broke her marital vows. She is not the liar and cheat. She supported her husband while raising a family. This is HIS bad behavior not hers!
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Carlos
Antonio Villaraigosa is an idiot. Mirthala Salinas is a slut and a whore. Why do we let trash like Villaraigosa and Rocky Delgadillo represent us? It makes me ashamed to be the spawn of Mexicans. I feel bad for Corina. She is a beautiful woman, and loved him so much that she forgave him the first time she *caught* him cheating on her with the mother of their Godchild (when Corina was battling cancer). A real life Novela.
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C in Cali
I am wonder if this reporter will be getting fired?….
The people of LA can and should fire him next time there is an election. But how about her?…I read somewhere that her boss called her a good reporter and professional. Professional is this what is called professional nowadays? This is real sad for his wife and family. His wife probably went through so much throughout his career for him to pay him to pay her this way.
Very sad.
I finish we this comment…
A Mexican male cheating?….That is astonishing!
C in Cali
I am wonder if this reporter will be getting fired?….
The people of LA can and should fire him next time there is an election. But how about her?…I read somewhere that her boss called her a good reporter and professional. Professional is this what is called professional nowadays? This is real sad for his wife and family. His wife probably went through so much throughout his career for him to pay him to pay her this way.
Very sad.
I finish with this comment…
A Mexican male cheating?….That is astonishing!
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RLT
I voted for the mayor and am very disappointed. He came to my church and posed as a devoted husband and father while at the same time was living a DOUBLE LIFE. I met him downtown at the City Hall during my pastor’s appreciation day and he (the mayor) kissed me on my face after I told him that I had voted for him.
I guess, you can never tell about a person, however, his actions do not make it right and I am extremely disgusted in him. I was reluctant about voting for him and now I know why, it just did not feel right. As an educator myself, one of the reasons I voted for Antoino was because his wife was in the same profession.
If there will be a recall, this writer will certaintly be standing first in line to sign the petition.
signed,
Disappointed
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