First family puts Reno home on market

By Cy Ryan

Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2008 | 2 a.m.

Gov. Jim Gibbons and first lady Dawn Gibbons have put their Reno residence up for sale.

The Gibbonses, who are in the midst of a divorce, are asking nearly $1.5 million for the four-bedroom, four-bathroom home, where the governor has often stayed instead of the Governor’s Mansion.

Dawn Gibbons lives in a guest home adjacent to the Governor’s Mansion in Carson City.

The Gibbonses couldn’t be reached for comment Tuesday.

But Cal Dunlap, the attorney representing Dawn Gibbons in the divorce, said it’s typical for divorcing couples to sell their property.

“We have cooperated in his (the governor’s) request to list the property,” Dunlap said.

Gov. Gibbons filed for divorce in May, citing “incompatibility.” Dawn Gibbons, a former assemblywoman, stated in court documents that the governor was seeking a divorce because he was involved with another woman.

Dunlap said no settlement has been reached in the divorce and the parties continue to negotiate.

Dunlap said he expects that, in addition to the their Reno home, the Gibbonses will also put 40 acres they own in Elko County on the market.

In August 2007, the couple purchased part of a cattle and alfalfa ranch near Lamoille from former Washoe District Judge Jerry Carr Whitehead for $575,000. They had planned to build a retirement home on the property.

The property was the brief focus of controversy, and an ethics complaint, stemming from an agricultural tax break the governor obtained for the Elko land. The Ethics Commission cleared Gibbons in the matter.

The Gibbonses have owned their 4,677-square-foot southwest Reno home since 1989, according to the Washoe County Assessor’s Office.

The residence, which has mountain views, sits on 2.96 acres. The annual property tax bill totals $6,990.