As Northern Nevada dresses up in pink and red for Valentine’s Day, Sparks City Council members shared their love stories with 2 News Nevada. The following are their ‘love at first sight’ moments as described by each council member willing to share. Their responses are edited for length and clarity.
Councilmember Kristopher Dahir
In 1990, I was in college, and I was actually at a dance or a dinner at our college with another date, truthfully. And then all of a sudden, this girl named Melissa gets on the stage, and she does Hamlet’s soliloquy, the whole thing. “To be or not to be.” (Dahir describes this while gesturing dramatically with his hands.)
She’s dynamic! And I remember just kind of almost like – I know this sounds so bad – but I was all, I don’t even know who I’m sitting here with. (Dahir gestures as if pushing aside his date.) I started walking toward the stage. I need to meet this girl! And I chased her down, no lie. And I got to know her.
Thirty years later now, two grown children, a grandbaby, so many anniversaries, and just the love of my life, and truly someone who stood by my side through thick and thin, politics, and pastoring, and all the fun.
Councilmember Paul Anderson
My story goes back to when I was a teenager. I grew up in Carson City, and there wasn’t a whole lot to do as a teenager there on a Saturday night. A friend and I decided to come up to go cruising main street. We were cruising, and saw these two cute girls and asked them to meet us at the Dairy Queen at the north end of town.
We met them up there and shared burgers and fries, and visited. We exchanged phone numbers, and that was 40 years ago. A couple kids and a wonderful wife later, she’s still my sweetheart.
Councilmember Charlene Bybee
We actually met at the University of Nevada, Reno after the UNR-UNLV football game. He was a football player. I was a student athlete. I was a gymnast.
We met way back then and have been married almost 44 years, two kids, two grandkids. I came downstairs to a dozen roses this morning, and we’ll be grilling a filet mignon and having a romantic dinner at home tonight.
Councilmember Donald Abbot
I have an amazing girlfriend, December Watts. She’s a teacher at Pinecrest Academy. We’ll be going to dinner and a movie later today. Shout out to her!
