"He made his presence known to me even before the school year started."
Hodge's presence continues to be felt not only in the Long Beach school district, where he graduated in 1994, but throughout the city. To those who have had the chance to work — or even just talk — with him, his passion for the City of Long Beach is obvious. The Herald is proud to name him its 2008 Person of the Year.
Hodge, 32, who grew up in Long Beach, wears many hats. He is the city's animal warden; a union official; the acting chairman of the Martin Luther King Center board of directors; a member of the Long Beach Coalition to Prevent Underage Drinking; a member of the school district's Envisioning Committee and its Community Involvement subcommittee; a late-night radio show host; and a community advocate.
"He has a great heart for the community," Cecil Garrett, a deacon at Christian Light Missionary Baptist Church, said of Hodge. "He's great with the youth and with the seniors, and that's quite a mixture —from one extreme to the other."
When 14-year-old Leo Vann drowned in Reynolds Channel last June, Hodge led the charge in questioning the city's handling of the incident. Showing up at a July City Council meeting wearing a T-shirt imprinted with Vann's image, he pushed the council to form a commission to review the city's emergency procedures.
As a member of the schools' Envisioning Committee, Hodge worked with the school board on a program known as SMAART, a 10-year plan to improve curriculum and renovate district buildings.
During election season, Hodge hit the streets, bullhorn in hand, urging residents — Democrats and Republicans alike — to watch the historic presidential debates with their families.
In addition to his responsibilities as the city's animal warden, Hodge is the shop steward of CSEA Local 882 Unit 7569, the union that represents many city employees. At a City Council meeting on Dec. 16, he donned union attire to show his support for two sanitation workers who had worked for six years on a temporary basis and were finally made permanent employees.
"He cares about the union and his role in the union, and he's very proud of being a member," said CSEA president Colleen Silvia. "He definitely looks out for his union brothers and sisters."
After leaving Long Beach High, Hodge studied at Molloy College, Nassau Tech Trade School and LaGuardia Community College before graduating with honors from the Communication Resource Link School of Broadcasting. He has been the program director and executive producer of "Gospel All Night Thru the Morning" on WGBB-AM 1240 since 1998, and his love of animals — he started volunteering at the city's animal shelter at age 14 — led him to the warden's job in 2006.
Throughout his career, Hodge has been a community organizer. Garrett described him as always at the forefront of getting people involved, making sure residents' voices are heard no matter where they stand on a given issue. It's a quality Hodge apparently developed at an early age, in school.
"His ability to mobilize groups of students was astounding even then," said Cheliotes, who is now the school district's assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction and calls Hodge one of her prides and joy. "Never afraid to express his opinion, he was admired by many for this clarity of purpose and commitment to make the Long Beach High School the best place to be."
According to Garrett, Hodge continues to inspire young people. "With his peers he's well respected, and he seems to be an inspiration to some of the younger people, as far as being determined to achieve goals," Garrett said.
As a member of the Long Beach Coalition to Prevent Underage Drinking for the past three years, he remains immersed in the city's youth culture. "I think he's the eyes and ears for the coalition ...," said Judy Vining, the coalition's coordinator. "If he sees something or hears about kids that are drinking, he brings it right to the coalition."
Vining said that Hodge was instrumental in opening up the lines of communication between the Martin Luther King Center and the coalition. "He's very direct, he's very forthcoming, he's very honest," said Vining. "He talks about the problems of underage drinking and drug use the way everyone else does. He doesn't sugar-coat it."
At age 14, Hodge was given the Sherman Brown Award for his volunteer work with the Martin Luther King Center. Today he sits on the board of directors as acting chairman. In November, he organized a concert fundraiser for the center with the help of his overnight radio show. The show sponsored the free concert, which featured Crystal Aikin, Nubian Gents, local urban group Kings Kids and the Hofstra Gospel Ensemble.
"His heart is so big that it would not let him even take a moment of rest when someone is in need," said Michelle Hall, event coordinator for "Gospel All Night Thru the Morning," who has worked with Hodge for more than 10 years. "As long as he believes that he can make a difference in the lives of the people in the city of Long Beach, he will work tirelessly."
Comments about this story? JKellard@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 213.
