After surviving an ouster attempt, Kickapoo Tribe Chairman Tony Salazar has taken on a new nickname, The Oklahoma Gazette reports. It's "Superman."
The Superman symbol is everywhere Salazar goes, the weekly newspaper says. It's on his business cards. It's on his tribal vehicle. He even wears a Superman t-shirt. "I was able to take a tough situation and turn things around," he is quoted as saying. "People noticed that. That's when people starting [sic] calling me Superman."
Salazar has been accused of stealing and corruption, among other charges. But he takes pride in his job, pointing to the tribe's casino as one success. The casino is expanding under a Class III gaming compact with the state.
Some tribal members don't think he's such a man of steel and tried to kick him out of office in December 2003. When he refused to leave, elderly women occupied the tribal headquarters and were later removed by force. Three women face criminal trespass charges.
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