Idalia Luna, the executive director of the Hopkinsville-Christian County Human Rights Commission, resigned from her position Monday afternoon — a month ahead of the date she originally planned to leave the job for an out-of-state move with her family.
The abrupt decision to leave early comes amid an apparent conflict stemming from the “current political climate,” according to an email late on Thursday, June 22, from the HRC board’s executive committee to Luna.
The email, which Hoptown Chronicle obtained through an open records request, states:
“Idalia, Given the current political climate, if you choose to move the date of your resignation to an earlier date the Executive Committee agrees to pay your normal salary until July 21, 2023 (your original resignation date), pay out your accrued vacation time, and pay your health care stipend for the month of July.”
The email was signed by chairwoman Nichelle Hillis, chair-elect Nikki Chambers, treasurer Molly Lewis and secretary Yasamin Ausenbaugh.
Luna responded by email Friday evening. She wrote:
“This week has presented itself with some challenging moments and truly tested each of our characters in times of pressure and conflict. I had abided, followed and acted according to the mandate of the city and state ordinance, mission of HRC, and my job duties. HRC has a moral responsibility to be the model of how employment relations are handled. It was a great disappointment in how it all was handled. I have been lamenting over the actions and the events transpired.
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She reminded the executive committee members of the theme for the city’s 2023 Unity Breakfast, a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., “I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.”
Luna accepted the offer for early resignation and said she would be in the office until 3 p.m. Monday. Her email concluded:
“I truly want to say thank you for the opportunity to serve. I hope the people stand up, speak up, and speak out for HRC because you are going to need their help more than ever.”
The email exchange does not provide specificity about what prompted the executive committee to discuss an early departure with Luna. She declined to comment further when asked by Hoptown Chronicle.
Nikki Chambers, the incoming board chair, also declined comment. “As of right now, I can’t,” she said. “It’s a personnel matter.”
Fiscal court votes to defund HRC
The conflict comes on the heels of a decision by Christian Fiscal Court to defund HRC in 2023-24. The county budget — which awaits final approval at fiscal court’s next meeting at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, June 27, at the county courthouse — eliminates all of the county’s funding, $22,000, for HRC.
Luna and several community members spoke in support of HRC during fiscal court’s last meeting on June 13, asking magistrates to reconsider their decision to defund the agency. (During the public comment portion of the meeting, several people also questioned why the county was cutting the Hopkinsville-Christian County Public Library’s funding by approximately $92,000.)
County Judge-Executive Jerry Gilliam said the decision to eliminate funding for HRC was based on fiscal court’s belief that a city ordinance created the agency and that it served relatively few people outside the city limits. In addition, the magistrates chose to fund other priorities, including a 12% hike in health insurance, a 5% pay increase for all county employees, a $100,000 increase for property and casualty insurance and more funding for sheriff’s personnel.
Magistrates made choices based on “what was the best value for our dollar,” Gilliam said.
The county’s budget for 2023-24 is $43.5 million. An allocation of $22,000, the amount HRC received in 2022-23, would have been one-half of 1% of the county’s total budget.
Community event draws criticism
On the following Tuesday, June 20, HRC supporters, including several who spoke at fiscal court, gathered at the Pioneers Complex to talk about the future of HRC. The meeting at Pioneers, described as a “Call to Action” and a “Grassroots Initiative for Community Activism” was publicized in a flyer distributed during the Juneteenth celebration at the Boys and Girls Club. HRC staff created the flyer.
The next day, Luna responded by email to HRC commissioner Caleb Ballard, who said he was not invited to the meeting.
“Was this an official meeting? Were minutes recorded? Who led this meeting? Who was in attendance? Lastly was this meeting advertised per [Kentucky Revised Statute]?” Ballard wrote.
Luna answered and said that it was not an HRC meeting, rather “a community support meeting for those who attended Fiscal Court and shared interest in … “advocacy and activism.” She said community members led the meeting. There were no minutes recorded.
Ballard responded, “… I would feel like it would be in your best interest to inform the [commission] members of public gatherings that pertain to our official capacity as a city commission.”
Luna countered, “… Again, this was an initial community support meeting with potential volunteers who shared interest at fiscal court.”
Bonnie Lynch, a retired educator and active volunteer in groups such as the League of Women Voters, attended the meeting at Pioneers. She told Hoptown Chronicle that supporters shared information about HRC’s mission and its future. Lynch said she shares concerns she’s heard from others that HRC’s ability to advocate on civil rights matters will be diminished in Hopkinsville.
Ballard — a farmer who comments frequently on social media about issues involving local government agencies and elected officials — is a new HRC board member. Mayor James R. Knight Jr. appointed Ballard and three other new members — Becky Dearman, Crystal Ferreira and Kenneth Means — to the HRC board in May.
The changes at HRC come just a few weeks before the organization is set to celebrate its 60th anniversary with a gala at the Silo Event Center. The guest list of out-of-towners who are coming for the gala includes at least a few dozen relatives of HRC’s key founders — the late civil rights attorney Louis McHenry and the late Hal and Bettye Thurmond.
Luna, who is moving so one of her sons can accept an invitation to a nationally ranked charter school in Arkansas, had served as HRC director since December 2019, when the board hired her at a salary of $53,000. A former assistant in then-Mayor Carter Hendricks’ office, Luna was the HRC board’s unanimous pick for the job.
City seeks to reduce HRC office space, funding
The HRC board has a regular meeting at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday. The agenda includes a discussion by City Administrator Troy Body about plans from the mayor’s office to take one of the two office spaces in city hall currently used by HRC — one for the executive director and one for the assistant, which is currently Raychel Farmer.
In a recent email to Luna, Body said one of the current HRC offices will become space for the city’s Finance Department, apparently leaving HRC with enough office space for one employee.
In addition, incoming City Finance Director Melissa Clayton will discuss the future of city funding for HRC. As the mayor proposed, city council approved a 5% cut in funding for HRC, reducing it to $80,000 in the 2023-24 spending plan.
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. She spent 30 years as a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition.
