The Indianola mayor and board of aldermen terminated City Attorney Derek Hopson in a divided vote on Tuesday, with Mayor Ken Featherstone breaking a 2-2 tie in favor of the motion to fire.
The decision was made during a special called meeting that covered several items.
Ward 4 Alderman Marvin Elder was the only alderman not in attendance.
“I’m just floored at the amount of money that we have paid this attorney this year,” Ward 1 Alderman Gary Fratesi, who initiated the motion, said. “He’s got twice or three times what previous attorneys have earned in a short period. And I don't think it's all on the up and up. I make a motion that we terminate the attorney effective immediately.”
Ward 2 Alderman Darrell Simpson seconded the motion.
The vote was split, with Fratesi and Simpson voting yes, and Ward 3 Alderman Ruben Woods and Ward 5 Alderman Sam Brock voting no.
Mayor Ken Featherstone was swift to cast the tie-breaking affirmative vote, sealing Hopson’s departure.
In a statement immediately following the vote, Featherstone cited concerns over billing irregularities, performance issues and conduct.
“I vote an affirmative vote that we do need to terminate the Hopson firm and here's why,” Featherstone said. “I think that Attorney Hopson spread himself a little too thin. I’ve got department heads asking him for things that he can’t deliver, and that sits bad with me.”
He also referenced a specific incident involving a legal opinion Hopson was supposed to supply Indianola Police Chief Ronald Sampson concerning a task force agreement.
“On three different occasions, he said, ‘I haven't had a chance to take a look at it,’ and I was done then, to be honest, to be open and obvious about that,” Featherstone stated. “(We) never tasked (former) Attorney (Kimberly) Merchant with something and she came back three times saying, ‘I’m not ready. I can’t give you a legal opinion because I haven’t seen it.’ That’s unsatisfactory.”
Further criticism was directed at Hopson’s demeanor.
“When his tone gets out of hand and he shouted at an elected official in the city of Indianola, my job is to protect the city,” Featherstone said. “I just had a conversation with him. You’ve got every right to defend yourself, but you don’t have the right to raise your voice.”
Featherstone added that Alderman Fratesi had called the mayor to apologize for his tone.
Concerns about alleged unauthorized communication and actions also played a role.
“Another thing that I have a problem with is emails that get shot out,” Featherstone explained. “There are some things that get sent out, and different people are copied in on our day-to-day emails. People outside of Indianola, even down in Jackson — I’ve got a problem with that. That was not authorized.”
The Mayor also addressed a controversy surrounding the city’s efforts to partner with the Sunflower County Consolidated School District to fix a portion of Battle Street the city says was damaged during a Gentry High School renovation project.
Hopson was ordered by the board to send a request to the district’s board attorney for assistance on that project. He apparently sent the board an intent to sue instead.
“The mix-up there — we never authorized Attorney Hopson to sue the school district, but that’s what happened. We still haven’t cleared that up,” Featherstone said.
Concluding his remarks, Featherstone emphasized the urgency of selecting a new legal representative.
“I stand by my decision. I was done two or three meetings ago,” he stated. “We deserve better. All of this has kept me up at night. So that’s my opinion.”
Attempts to reach Hopson for comment by press time were not successful.
No discussion followed, and the board quickly adjourned.
Hopson was hired as the city attorney on December 11, 2024, during the middle of a regular board meeting.
Former City Attorney Merchant had already announced her impending departure and planned to stay on until early January to help during the transition phase.
Multiple attorneys showed up during that December meeting anticipating having interviews with the board about the position.
Ward 4 Alderman Elder made a motion to hire Hopson, effective immediately, and when that passed, Merchant departed, and Hopson took her seat.
Prior to that night, Hopson had served as special counsel for the city since November 2024, specifically investigating the city’s ongoing case involving the Spencer Construction payout.
