Details of University Park Golf Course management, hiring of operator discussed in lawsuit depositions

University Park Mayor Joseph Roudez and University Park Golf Club manger Sonia Coffee both stated in depositions the village pays close to its self-imposed cap of $700,000 annually to operate the facility, while Roudez said the former contractor’s contract would’ve been cheaper.

Management of the golf course is subject of a lawsuit by Michael Realty & Management, the former course manager, alleging its contract was wrongfully terminated in 2015 by then-Mayor Vivian Covington after she allegedly asked Michael Realty & Management to rehire an employee who was terminated for theft, said attorney Dan Garbis.

Roudez said in a July 13, 2021, deposition that as then-trustee he and the board approved the contract with Michael Realty & Management because the village’s finance officials told trustees it would be more cost effective. Before Michael Realty & Management operated the facility, Roudez said the village ran the golf club, but trustees wanted to reduce expenses.

After Michael Realty & Management was let go, the village paid two separate contracts, one to operate the golf course and another for food and beverage, Roudez said. The two groups oversaw the golf course when Roudez became mayor, he said.

As mayor, Roudez said it was not in the best interest of the residents to “split house” like that, so village officials sought a company to operate both the golf course and the food and beverage and CHW Management Group was selected.

Coffee, who owns CHW Management Group, stated in a recent deposition $700,000 of village funds go annually into the golf course, though Roudez stated it was closer to $672,000.

Roudez agreed Michael Realty & Management contract would’ve been $504,000 annually, but said spending $672,000 was still less than what the village spent to operate the golf course itself.

“The numbers are the numbers,” Roudez said. “It’s a great savings from the multitude of dollars that we were spending before.”

University Park Trustee Theo Brooks, who challenged Roudez for mayor and is eight votes behind Roudez in preliminary and unofficial returns from Tuesday’s election, said the depositions were “disturbing.” He said he was shocked to learn from Coffee’s deposition that she lives in Ohio, and that she couldn’t answer questions about the menu or how many golfers come to the facility.

Brooks said CHW has poorly managed the course, and questioned where the money has gone because there has not been improvements. Since CHW took management of the golf course, Brooks said the board approved thousands of dollars for the golf course when it was closed and was told by the administration the money was for contractual reasons.

Brooks said he was also shocked to learn that Coffee dated Roudez’s friend, who introduced the pair before Coffee submitted a bid to operate the golf course.

“We need to terminate CHW’s contract immediately, I mean immediately,” Brooks said. “The money needs to come back to University Park.”

The golf course is at the center of allegations that came to a head when Coffee and former University Park police Chief Deborah Wilson were in an altercation Dec. 16, 2021, that resulted in Coffee being charged with assault and Wilson’s termination.

The group Save University Park recently released video from that date and allege Wilson went to the golf club to investigate the theft of equipment. They along with Brooks called for the removal of director of economic development and former village manager Ernestine Beck-Fulgham and the prosecution of Roudez for their roles in awarding Coffee “a sweetheart deal” to manage the golf course, claiming it has cost the financially strapped village more than $1.2 million.

Coffee defended the costs in 2022, saying work was needed for upgrades after years of neglect.

Coffee and Roudez stated in their depositions no payments or contributions were paid to Roudez for the management contract. During his deposition, Roudez’s attorney stopped a line of questioning regarding his campaign finance contributions because the subject is not relevant to the Michael Realty & Management contract.

In a Jan. 31 deposition, Coffee stated her company, CHW Management Group, was formed in 2020. Around that time, Coffee stated she went to San Antonio, Texas, to the National League of Cities meeting and networking event, where she met Mayor Joe Roudez.

At the event, Carlos Estes, who was Coffee’s boyfriend and Roudez’s childhood friend, according to their respective depositions, introduced them, Coffee stated.

Coffee stated they did not discuss the golf course at that meeting, but said when she returned home she would periodically check the University Park website to see if the village was requesting proposals from companies to manage the golf course.

“After I came back, got back from San Antonio, I just kept going on and looking at their website and seeing what was transpiring, and one day after I had went onto the website and I seen the RFP, and so I started getting everything together,” Coffee stated, according to a transcript.

Roudez said in his deposition other requests for proposals were submitted, but he did not state from what companies.

Last year, Coffee presented a quarterly financial report for October through December that listed golf course revenues of $169,905 and expenses of $139,150 for a net income of $30,755.

However, $154,000 of revenue was public funding subsidized by taxpayers while actual sales accounted for just $14,393 of income, according to the report.

Coffee said, when asked about the altercation with Wilson, that she was “unlawfully” arrested after Wilson came to the facility “unwarranted” and asked for her identification. Coffee stated when she asked why it was being requested, Wilson did not give a reason, so Coffee went into her office.

The video, which did not include audio, shows a brief altercation between Coffee and Wilson, during which a golf course employee stood between the women, and then Coffee picked up the phone.

Coffee stated in her deposition she was calling Wilson’s boss, then-village manager Ernstein Beck-Fulgham, “because of instances that happened before.”

“She was not supposed to come to the golf course. She was asked to have a meeting about particular instances that happened before,” Coffee said, according to a transcript of her deposition.

When asked to elaborate on the instances, Coffee first stated she didn’t see “any relevance to that” and then refused to answer, citing her Fifth Amendment rights.

Coffee was asked if the instances involved any illegal activity on her part or Estes’ part or Roudez’s part and she said no.

Brooks said it was hard to watch the video and maintained that Wilson was wrongfully terminated.

“Chief Wilson was attacked,” Brooks said. “You’re not a criminal if you didn’t do anything wrong.”

Wilson was placed on leave after the Dec. 16 altercation, which drew criticism from Brook and many residents, who questioned why the village’s first Black woman police chief of 25 years was let go. In December 2021, the board voted against appointing an acting police chief, so the village was without a police chief until February.