Gibbons has high hopes for settlement agreement with estranged wife

CARSON CITY — Gov. Jim Gibbons said today that he hopes to reach agreement with his estranged wife Wednesday on property division and other matters during a settlement conference that could lead to the end of their 23-year marriage.

The governor and his wife, Dawn, are scheduled to meet privately in Reno for three hours with Washoe County District Judge Frances Doherty and their lawyers in a settlement conference. If they do not reach agreement, Doherty could schedule a divorce hearing late this year. That hearing would be open to the public.

“I am hopeful,” the governor said about reaching a settlement.

Dawn Gibbons, contacted by phone today, said her attorney advised her not to talk publicly about the settlement or the pending divorce.

A source said the governor might push for a settlement to avoid a public divorce that would be covered by the news media.

No governor in Nevada history has been divorced while in office. Several governors, including Paul Laxalt and Robert List, divorced their wives after their terms ended.

“I don’t think any divorce should be public because of the impact on both sides, the family and the children,” Jim Gibbons said. “Some in the media don’t care about that.”

Dawn and Jim Gibbons have one adult son. The governor has two adult children from a previous marriage.

There are stumbling blocks that could hold up any divorce agreement. The couple’s ranch-style home on 2.5 acres in southwest Reno has not sold for the $1.1 million asking price. They originally listed the house for $1.5 million.

In addition, the governor does not want to sell the 20 acres of land he purchased in 2007 in Lamoille, 20 miles south of Elko, for $575,000.

Besides dividing assets, Dawn Gibbons, who does not work, wants continued financial support. She formerly owned a flower shop and a wedding chapel, served as a consultant and spent four terms as a member of the Assembly. She now receives $2,176 per month from her husband.

Although the governor filed for divorce on May 2, 2008, Dawn Gibbons continues to perform the duties of first lady. She lives in an apartment adjacent to the Governor’s Mansion on the mansion property.

The governor lives on the second floor of the mansion, and Dawn Gibbons can use the first floor for public events, such as her efforts to stop drug use.

In divorce documents opened to public inspection earlier this year, the first lady said she was “devastated” by the divorce and felt like a “castaway wife.” She noted that she stood by Gibbons in 2006 after he was accused of assaulting a woman in Las Vegas during the governor campaign.

Chrissy Mazzeo, a former cocktail waitress, filed a civil lawsuit against Jim Gibbons over the incident. She contended that Gibbons walked her to a parking garage and tried to assault her. Gibbons said he only tried to keep Mazzeo from falling.

The Clark County district attorney’s office investigated the incident and did not file charges.

Dawn Gibbons also has accused her husband of having affairs with two married Reno women. He denied her charges.

Contact reporter Ed Vogel at evogel@reviewjournal.com or 775-687-3901.