Does he have time to work?

Thursday, June 12, 2008 | 2:07 a.m.

In the course of six weeks during the 2007 Legislature, Gov. Jim Gibbons exchanged 867 text messages with his alleged paramour, the Reno Gazette-Journal reported Tuesday.

The revelation comes in the midst of the governor’s messy divorce from his wife, Dawn. He filed for divorce last month, citing irreconcilable differences. His wife alleged he was having an affair with the estranged wife of a Reno doctor, the same woman he was messaging. The governor has denied the affair, calling the woman a “good friend.”

Whatever their relationship, the revelation is yet the latest embarrassment for Gibbons and his disastrous administration.

The governor has tried to minimize the damage caused by his pending divorce, arguing that his personal life should be private. However, the governor has made his divorce a very public spectacle, and it is a wonder he is getting any work done, particularly with his prolific text messaging.

Gibbons messaged and talked with his female friend — on state time and on a state phone — racking up $130 in charges. His spokesman said he repaid the state for the expense.

Regardless, we would think, given the serious problems facing the state, that the governor would have little time for much beyond work during a legislative session. But Gibbons apparently wasn’t paying much attention to the business at hand, and it shows. The real issues facing the state, such as the budget crisis, have taken a back seat to the governor and his poor behavior.

The spectacle has gone international. People magazine recently ran a feature about Gibbons’ attempt to kick the first lady out of the Governor’s Mansion and the Los Angeles Times this week ran a story about the divorce on the front page. Media as far as England have picked up the story.

This is embarrassing not just for the governor but for the state of Nevada. The governor should be ashamed of himself, but judging from his continued pattern of reckless behavior, we doubt he is.