Indianola voters delivered a split verdict in Tuesday’s Democratic primary, setting the stage for runoffs in both the mayoral and Ward 5 alderman contests after no candidate in those races secured a majority of votes.
Former mayor Steve Rosenthal led the mayoral field with 1,039 votes, narrowly ahead of incumbent mayor Ken Featherstone, who garnered 972 votes. Hollis J. Myrick trailed with 109 votes. With neither Rosenthal nor Featherstone surpassing the 50 percent threshold required for victory, the two will meet again in a runoff to determine who will lead the city.
In Ward 5, Rodrigues Young emerged as the leader with 184 votes, followed by Sam Brock Jr. with 137 and Nakala Murry with 57. Young fell just short of an outright win, so the top two candidates will return for a runoff to decide the seat. The city’s other alderman races yielded decisive wins: Keith Spearman won Ward 2 with 297 votes, Calvin Moton claimed Ward 3 with 273 votes, and Johnny Earl Phillips took Ward 4 with 273 votes. Alex Deason ran unopposed in Ward 1 and is set to return to the board with 335 votes.
Overall turnout was strong, with 2,128 ballots cast out of the city’s 4,596 registered voters, reflecting a 46 percent participation rate. The runoffs for mayor and Ward 5 alderman will be held on November 4, 2025, as Indianola prepares to choose its new leadership in the coming weeks.
