First lady: ‘I need to be strong’

First lady Dawn Gibbons on Thursday called herself a role model for other middle-aged women going through divorce.

"I need to be strong not only for myself, but for others," she said after a press event to mark the first anniversary of the state's anti-methamphetamine education program, Crystal Darkness.

The event at Hollingsworth Elementary School in Las Vegas was her first public appearance since filing court papers Wednesday accusing her husband, Gov. Jim Gibbons, of having a relationship with a married woman.

Dawn Gibbons did not talk about her pending divorce case with her husband, citing instructions from her lawyer.

Dawn Gibbons continues to wear her wedding ring -- "I'm still married," she said.

She said she will continue to support her public campaigns, such as fighting methamphetamine, even when she is no longer Nevada's first lady.

Meanwhile, Jim Gibbons on Thursday denied unequivocally any romantic relationship with Reno resident Kathy Karrasch.

"Absolutely not," he said when a reporter asked him whether he had an affair with Karrasch, the estranged wife of Reno podiatrist C. Craig Karrasch.

Instead, the governor said he has been involved in a "friendly relationship over all these years" with Karrasch.

He answered questions following a meeting in Carson City about the summer Nevada wildfire danger.

Gibbons had pledged in a statement given the press May 2, the day divorce papers were filed on his behalf, to not speak to the news media about his divorce.

The governor is seeking a divorce from his wife of nearly 22 years for reasons of "incompatibility in marriage. The couple have a 20-year-old son, Jimmy, and Jim Gibbons has two older children from a previous marriage.

The Elko Daily Free Press on Tuesday published a letter by Gibbons, who had blasted the paper for writing in a May 21 editorial that he was involved with the wife of a Reno doctor."

Gibbons contended they merely have been friends for more than 15 years. Gibbons is 63 and Karrasch is 48.

"It is untrue and very hurtful to my children," Gibbons said about the allegations. "It is painful to go through this process. My kids are here. My grandkids are here."

He said the divorce has not affected his ability to serve as governor.

Dawn Gibbons' lawyer, Cal Dunlap, filed a motion Wednesday in Washoe County Family Court alleging the real reason Gibbons wants to divorce his wife is because he has been involved with the Reno woman.

While not mentioning Karrasch by name, Dunlap called her the "marital intruder" who was responsible for the end of the couple's marriage.

Dunlap said the woman has been Gibbons' "frequent bar, restaurant, dinner and even grocery store companion."

Dunlap charged Karrasch has virtually "stalked" the governor, believing that a relationship with him would bring her "prestige."

Karrasch's daughter, who is in high school, said Wednesday that her parents had separated for reasons unrelated to the governor.

She also said Dawn Gibbons has had disagreements with her mother for years and now wants to embarrass her.

Kathy Karrasch lives in a home only a couple blocks from Gibbons' Kinney Lane home in southwest Reno.

While her husband spent 10 years in Washington as a member of Congress, Dawn Gibbons served four terms in the state Assembly.

Contact Capital Bureau Chief Ed Vogel at evogel@reviewjournal.com or 775-687-3901.