Newspaper publisher, golf course superintendent scuffle, police called

Copyright © 2008
Gallup Independent
By Phil Stake
Staff writer

GALLUP — At Fox Run Municipal Golf Course, it seems, a tempest is forming.

The superintendent, Bob Weekes, requested Gallup Police assistance Thursday. He claimed he had been assaulted by Independent Publisher Bob Zollinger.

Weekes made his claim to metro dispatch at 3:52 p.m. The log note read simply: Complaining party said subject grabbed his arm. Subjects are still on scene. By 4 p.m., officers had arrived and begun to question Weekes and Zollinger, as well as the only witness, the course golf pro, Alex Alvarez.

Zollinger claims he “never touched” Weekes. In fact, Zollinger said Weekes pushed him once, then again, with enough force the second time that Zollinger hit the ground. Zollinger said the impact stunned him, worried him because he landed on a recently replaced hip. He stayed down until Alvarez offered to help him to his feet.

Weekes declined to comment on the alleged assault, deferring instead to City Manager Gerald Herrera.

Commenting on what he said amounts to a he-said, she-said story, Herrera stands on protocol. He said Zollinger violated posted “employees only” signage by entering the maintenance building at Fox Run Municipal Golf Course Thursday, the building inside which the alleged assault took place. Herrera said that Zollinger approached Weekes in a combative and interruptive manner. As for any criminal pursuit, Herrera said that the city is not planning to file charges against Zollinger, that the assault call placed by Weekes is a personal complaint.

“I guess that’s something he’s pursuing on his own,” Herrera said Friday.

Herrera said the city will investigate the incident to determine if any disciplinary action is necessary against Weekes once it has received all reports. Those reports include a written report from Weekes, Zollinger and Alvarez, as well as the police report, which had not yet been filed on Friday afternoon.

Herrera also commented on what he views as an ongoing problem with Zollinger. He said similar tiffs have occurred between Weekes and Zollinger on previous occasions, including an “incident” Oct. 24.

Zollinger said he approached groundskeepers that Friday about the ruts, holes, bare spots and standing water on the course. Herrera said Zollinger “verbally accosted three employees.”

The undertone is adversarial.

Zollinger is staunch in his belief that the greens are unkempt and the grounds poorly cared for, and that as the course superintendent, Weekes has proven himself incompetent. This is in fact the topic of an Independent editorial today, which had been written several days prior to the alleged assault.

“It’s to the point where many golfers feel that the city can go out to the streets of Gallup, find the most hard-core, irresponsible alcoholic, place him in charge of the golf course, and the course would be better maintained,” the editorial reads.

Alvarez, the only apparent bystander in the incident, is placed in a precarious position. He is at once a subordinate to Weekes and a golf buddy to Zollinger. Consequently he was very cautious about siding with either.

Alvarez confirmed that he was meeting with Weekes at the time of the alleged assault. Asked about Zollinger’s method of approach Thursday, Alvarez denied that Zollinger had been impolite.

“He just came in to see if I would be done soon enough for us to play golf,” Alvarez said. “The meeting was interrupted, but it was not interrupted rudely.”

Like an iceberg, there’s probably more to Thursday’s alleged assault than is visible above the surface.

The city claims Zollinger violated posted signage, signage put in place to keep the public safe. He said the maintenance building houses groundskeeping machines such as lawn mowers and tractors, as well as a meeting space, which has a desk, table and chairs.

“It’s for insurance liability issues,” Herrera said.

Herrera’s stance is typical posturing, perhaps a premeditation against a possible lawsuit, which Zollinger said he may consider. He said he’s waiting to hear back Monday about his hip X-rays.