Was there trouble in paradise?

Longtime Miss Navajo Program Supervisor Dinah Wauneka and her assistant, Barbara Phillips, have stepped down, according to Michelle Crank a staff member with the Office of President and Vice President.

Wauneka and Phillips were faced with complaints involving bullying, nepotism, favoritism and “cranky attitudes.”

Due to the resignations Crank is working with current Miss Navajo Ronda Joe on issues, such as scheduling. The Miss Navajo program falls under the banner of the OP/VP.

Last November the Navajo Times broke the story that several contestants were filing grievances against Wauneka and Phillips.

One contestant said the pageant “wasn’t fun.”

Mariah Claw, a 2016-2017 contestant, said she wouldn’t want anyone she knew to be treated the way many of the contestants were. While not all the contestants were targeted, Claw said they all felt under duress.

The women claimed they suffered emotional and verbal bullying and intimidation.

Two former Miss Navajos – Alyson Shirley and McKeon Dempsey – joined the 2016-2017 contestants in their grievances. In addition to Claw, the other contestants protesting include Shannon Gorman, Atheina Claw, Rodina Jordan and Deidra Wilson.

The women came together to make the public aware of the situation inside the Miss Navajo Program.

The problems didn’t always end with the crowning of a new Miss Navajo. Shirley said it persisted during her one-year reign.

The stress caused by Wauneka and Phillips was so overwhelming that Wilson said she doesn’t even think of being a contestant as a “memorable” event in her life.

Crank said she was unsure when Wauneka and Phillips actually resigned.

Since the allegations first surfaced the OP/VP has been discussing ways to restructure the pageant.