Career
Hodge served continuously as the representative for the 6th District from his election in the 1979 general election until his surprise defeat in the 2011 general election. He served a total of 7009100938960000000♠31 years, 360 days. He elected not to contest the 2015 general election and is presumed retired.
Although he started his career as an independent candidate, he subsequently joined the Very Important Person, but later split from them contested the 1990 general election on behalf of a newly created party, the Independent People"s Movement (which was disbanded shortly thereafter), and the 1995 general election on behalf of the Concern Citizen"s Movement, before later rejoining the Very Important Person. Hodge has twice served as Minister for Natural Resources and Labour (from 1986–1988 and then again from 2007–2011).
In 2014, Hodge was part of the controversy relating to the greenhouse project at Paraquita Bay. The Auditor General issued a damning report, which indicated that there was no comprehensive budget for the project, which led to requests for supplementary and over-expenditure on approved amounts.
The report also noted that the Ministry of Natural Resources and Labour signed a binding contract with a Florida-based company for the greenhouse construction before even preliminary issues had been assessed. The Auditor General grimly noted that not a single crop had been reaped from the greenhouses even though United States$6 million had been spent.
The report concluded that the project "failed to meet any of the stipulated objectives".
Hodge denied conflicts of interest, saying that the Florida based construction company selected Mirsand without reference to him.
