Advisor Ousted for Dating Rival’s Kin

The already-heated race for city attorney got a few degrees hotter Monday with an announcement by candidate Michael Aguirre that he had fired his political consultant for dating the sister of a rival candidate.

In a statement, Aguirre said he fired Jason King for leaking information about his campaign to the camp of Deborah Berger and for failing to disclose his relationship with Berger’s sister, Samantha Bowman, who is serving as Berger’s campaign manager.

Aguirre, a federal prosecutor-turned-civil litigator, called on Berger, a deputy city attorney, to promise not to use any information from King about his campaign.

Berger dismissed Aguirre’s comments as “paranoia” and said her campaign has not received any assistance from King.

“I know Mike has theories about sabotage and spies and his usual paranoia, but I don’t need spies to win this campaign,” Berger said. “Two people have fallen in love, that’s all.”

King, 32, said his relationship with Bowman, 42, did not compromise his work for Aguirre and that he had no plans to give any information to the Berger campaign.

“I spent eight months taking Mike Aguirre from an also-ran, perennial candidate to a front-runner, and I wouldn’t want to jeopardize that,” King said.

He added that he and Bowman met during the campaign and are engaged to marry.

The King-Bowman relationship came to light Friday when an Aguirre worker noticed e-mails on a campaign computer.

Aguirre, Berger and Executive Assistant City Atty. Leslie Devaney are running to succeed termed-out City Atty. Casey Gwinn. Aguirre, who has lost races for Congress, City Council and district attorney, has promised sweeping changes in the office of city attorney, which is the top legal advisor to the city government.

King said he saw no reason to tell Aguirre that he was dating an opponent’s sister.

“If it was all right for James and Mary, why not us?” said King, referring to political consultants James Carville and Mary Matalin, who have gained fame as a married couple who work for opposing candidates.