Cayman Brac West and Little Cayman independent candidate Lonny Tibbetts donned the Progressives red shirt at a rally on the Brac on Friday night, but says he has not joined the party.
Tibbetts, when contacted by the Compass, said he had been “formally endorsed” on Friday by Moses Kirkconnell, the former tourism minister and PPM member who has been the long-time representative for the constituency but who is not standing in the upcoming election.
However, Tibbetts added that he remains an independent candidate, but would be happy to work with a PPM government if the party is elected.
“I’m going to try to hold on to independence as long as I can, but I certainly have a great relationship with the PPM, and, ironically enough, other members of other parties, so we have not formalised anything as yet,” he said.
Tibbetts, a first-time candidate, is running against the Cayman Islands National Party’s Nickolas DaCosta in a two-man race for the district.
A photograph of Tibbetts in a PPM shirt, alongside Kirkconnell, Premier Juliana O’Connor-Connolly and other PPM members was posted on the Progressives’ Facebook page following Friday’s rally, sparking speculation that he had officially joined the party.
He told the Compass Saturday that Kirkconnell had “donned the red shirt on me” at the rally “as a gesture of a formal endorsement, but I have not really formalised an agreement with the PPM or any party for that matter.”
He added that he had been “humbled to tears” by Kirkconnell’s endorsement, and hoped to work with O’Connor-Connolly as Sister Islands representatives following the election. O’Connor-Connolly is running in Cayman Brac East against CINP leader Dan Scott and independents Ruth Ann Bodden, Maxine McCoy-Moore and James Christian.
No announcement regarding Tibbetts was made at Saturday night’s manifesto launch by the PPM at Compass Green in George Town.
However, party leader Joey Hew, when asked about Tibbetts’ relationship with the PPM, told the Compass that he was not a member, and had not applied to become one, but was considered “an ally”.
“What has happened is we didn’t have a candidate in the Cayman Brac West and Little Cayman seat. Moses endorsed Lonny Tibbetts as our choice,” Hew said.
He added that the PPM had “wanted a full slate of candidates because we didn’t want to get involved in horse-trading, as happened after the last election”.
Additional reporting by Raymond Hainey.