Haskell regent is asked to resign as tribal chief

The Muscogee (Creek) Nation tribal nation has asked its chief to resign because of his secret contract with a casino developer.

The chief, George Tiger, is a Haskell Indian Nations University Board of Regents member and former board president.

The tribal council held an emergency session Tuesday and voted 12-0 for a resolution of no confidence in Tiger. Council members also decided to sign a letter that would ask Tiger to resign from the position that he has held since Jan.1, 2012.

A Tulsa World investigation revealed that Tiger signed a secret contract in 2009 with Shane Rolls of Tulsa, a developer of a Broken Arrow casino project. The paper said the project would have benefited the Kialegee Tribal Town and would have competed with the Creek Nation’s River Spirit Casino in Tulsa.

Records obtained by the newspaper show that Tiger would have been paid a 5 percent share of gaming revenue and up to $200,000 in bonus payments along with other benefits had the deal been completed.

In a statement released Friday to the tribe, Tiger denied any wrongdoing and argued that he was a private citizen when he took on the consulting role.

“In both 2010 and 2011, there was no legislative action taken by the National Council regarding the Kialeege Tribal Town gaming facility,” Tiger said in the statement. “Ultimately they chose a site in Broken Arrow near our premier gaming facility. I opposed approval of the project. As the seated Principal Chief, I acted in the best interests of the MCN and fully upheld my oath of office.”

Haskell University and Board of Regents leaders said that while the situation was not linked to Haskell, it saddened them, according to the Lawrence Journal-World.

Tiger has served on the Haskell Board Regents for 20 years, since 1995, and last was president of the board from 2010 to 2013, according to Haskell.

“It’s a sad state of affairs,” current board of regents president Russell Bradley told the Journal-World. “I’ve always looked at George as a leader and a credible person, and I have no reason to think otherwise. Very few people have given Haskell the support George has.”

It’s unclear whether the Muscogee (Creek) situation will affect Tiger’s position on the Haskell Board of Regents, the Journal-World reported.

Regents are chosen by region, and Tiger is the board’s representative from the Eastern Oklahoma region, the newspaper said.

This story was originally published March 13, 2015 at 6:11 PM with the headline "Haskell regent is asked to resign as tribal chief."