Judge bans Giuliani's girlfriend from mayoral mansion

NEW YORK - A spring that started badly for Rudy Giuliani, the ailing but love-smitten Mayor of New York, has turned even darker for him with a judge ruling he can no longer have his girlfriend over to his official residence, Gracie Mansion, for coffee or anything else.

The order was the latest twist in a divorce battle, called "Anonymous-v-Anonymous" in the court papers, between Giuliani and his estranged wife, Donna Hanover, an actress and TV personality.

The tale gets more ugly with each day and, for the city's tabloids, more irresistible.

State Supreme Court Justice Judith Gische yesterday barred Giuliani's girlfriend, Judith Nathan, from Gracie Mansion.

Giuliani's real problem is this: more than a year after he made it clear that his marriage to Hanover was over, she is still refusing to move out.

There have been shades of French farce to what has been happening. For example, the afternoon when Hanover had to listen to what she imagined was Nathan taking a shower.

In this case the occupant turned out to be male golfing pal of the mayor's as Nathan had been hurried out a side door by an aide when Hanover's presence was detected.

Hardest for Giuliani will be overcoming the perception that he is a hypocrite.

He, after all, is the mayor who has expended so much energy on moralistic campaigns, like keeping what he calls smut out of art and cleaning up Times Square. He even established a "decency commission" this year to monitor art in public places.

- INDEPENDENT