War brews at Miss America

A WAR is brewing behind the scenes of the Miss America Organization under new chair Gretchen Carlson — and a battle over the swimsuit competition was just the beginning.

Two former Miss Americas and two former state titleholders have left the board, after just months on the job. Kate Shindle (now president of the Actors’ Equity Association), Laura Kaeppler Fleiss (who married “Bachelor” whiz Mike Fleiss), Jennifer Vaden Barth and Valerie Crooker Clemens posted a message to a private Facebook group claiming that Miss America’s account of their departures was inaccurate. Barth and Clemens claimed, “Neither of us resigned voluntarily” and that “pre-signed” resignation letters they’d had as interim members were used. Fleiss wrote, “I stepped away from a board that I felt had become incredibly toxic.” Shindle added, “Many of us ... expressed concern that we were expected to be a rubber-stamp board . . . I felt that our goodfaith attempts to practice oversight were characterized as destructive, hostile and/or unappreciative.”

The remaining board fired back in a response, alleging that Fleiss and Shindle opposed Carlson as chair, then “maintained an adversarial tone that permeated every discussion and decision,” and that Barth and Clemens “voluntarily and with full knowledge” gave in their resignations.

Miss America last month said it would ditch swimsuits, and sources say the move divided the ranks. Some members allegedly felt they were misled that the choice had to do with the pageant’s TV broadcast. One insider said of the swimsuit move: “That was an inflection point.”

Miss America’s board posted that “despite assertions you may have heard, the swimsuit decision was made unanimously by the board, including the former trustees. Any attempt to portray that decision as one made on an uninformed or misinformed basis is false.” President Regina Hopper further told us of the swimsuit issue: “In any transition, there are always those who disagree with or find it hard to accept change.”