Miss Cayman contestants may not be eligible

(CMR) Days before the Miss Cayman Islands contestants are set to take the stage eligibility questions are taking center stage.

Several contestants continue to come under increasing scrutiny as reports are flooding in that they should not be eligible to participate in the event.

Several days ago CMR shared a story about Tiffany Conolly, contestant number 6, which is embroiled in a year-long traffic matter. The court offenses included a number of charges including driving a vehicle with no insurance and refusing to pay the damages that were caused as a result of her running into another vehicle.

Today, we have received additional information that yet another Miss Cayman contestant is currently in court with several drug-related matters. Apparently, Miss Cayman contestant number 2, Gabrielle Walter, has several matters before the court relating to possession and consumption of ganja.

The contestants received a contestant rules and regulations document which appears to indicated that neither of these two ladies would be eligible at this time.

Section (e) indicates that the person should be of good character and not have any convictions except for minor offenses. People have argued that the number and nature of offenses Conolly were found guilty of would make her ineligible.

Furthermore, section (h) eliminates anyone who uses “any form of illegal drugs”; given that Watler is in court for multiple offenses relating to ganja her eligibility is now in question as well.

Cayman Marl Road spoke to someone familiar with the pageant scene and they indicated a quandary exists with the pageant:

“On the one hand you have the committee members who are attempting to set certain rules and standards for the pageant. However, the ministry is also very involved and has been known to interfere and even veto decisions made by the committee. Everyone looks to the committee when something goes wrong when in fact they should be looking at the Ministry of Tourism.”