Three months after former Mayor Pro Tem Don Hill’s conviction for corruption, the sweeping FBI investigation has claimed another prominent victim: longtime state representative Terri Hodge. Charged with taking money from developers in exchange for helping them get lucrative tax credits, Hodge pleaded guilty to a lesser count of income tax fraud.
While it may be difficult to resist the temptation to situate her story within the all-too-familiar framework of political scandal, it’s worth remembering that, for many in District 100, Terri Hodge was a well-regarded representative for one of the most economically and socially stressed districts in the city.
“We voted for her, and campaigned for her,” said District 100 resident Mary Malone, “and I guess if there’s a good side and a bad side, the good side is what we all knew about.”
Malone, a district resident for four decades and president of the Las Casas Neighborhood Association, paints a picture of a concerned, active state rep who attended neighborhood barbecues, fussed over her constituents’ needs, and even saw to it that Malone’s dog was awarded a commendation for his involvement in foiling a burglary.
“It was little things like that that touched your heart,” said Malone. “It was the caring that we knew about Terri Hodge.”
Malone, along with many others in her neighborhood, voted for Hodge early and without knowledge of the corruption charges hanging over her. Despite terminating her campaign, her name remains on the ballot and district residents are still free to vote for her. If she “wins” the election, Democratic precinct chairs will appoint a representative to serve in her place.
Her opponent in the Democratic primary, lawyer Eric Johnson, has treaded lightly on the subject of Hodge’s fall from grace. In a statement released shortly after the plea deal was announced, Johnson said "Now is the time for us to put aside past differences and restore the public’s trust in our ability to govern according to democratic principles. It is my sincere hope that in response to today’s events, we will come together as a party, as a district, and as a city to achieve the improvements House District 100 so desperately needs."
Johnson must now get to work winning over Hodge’s supporters. If the sentiments expressed by Mary Malone are widely shared in the district, he may find that a difficult task. Although Johnson has significant support already, some of Hodge’s backers were put off by the tone of his campaign. Because of his Ivy League background and his success at getting donations from downtown businessmen, he’s perceived in some circles as a tool of the establishment.
“Many people in my neighborhood that have [voted early] voted for [Hodge],” said Malone. “How the rest of it is going to play out, I can’t answer that.”
Hodge’s guilty plea was for one count of fraud related to not reporting about $27,000 in income on her 2002 tax return. The money came from low-income housing developers Brian and Cheryl Potashnik, who paid her rent, utilities and bought carpet for a house she owned on Abrams Road in Dallas. In return, prosecutors alleged, Hodge wrote letters endorsing the Potashnik's efforts to get lucrative tax credits for their development projects.
If true, it’s the kind of small-time graft that only serves as a reminder to some of the modest advocate’s lifestyle Hodge led.
“Terry doesn’t live lavishly,” said Thelma Youngblood, another activist and Hodge supporter. “If I was going to do something that would cause me to come to this point, or get people to come after me, I would live a whole lot better than she’s living.” In Youngblood’s eyes, anything Hodge is guilty of is “pennies” compared to what she suspects others are doing.
“I guess that’s the way it works,” Youngblood said. “When you’re trying to do the right thing, and you help the least of my brethren, you help the least of those among us who can’t do anything but pray for you, I think it would have been worth a whole lot more than nickels and dimes.”
[When] I got a call the other day early in the morning that she was going to resign, I cried all day,” Youngblood said. “It was like somebody stabbed me.”
In her one press statement since announcing the end of her campaign, Hodge said “Most of all, I want to apologize to all the citizens of District 100 for letting them down. It has been an honor to serve you for these last 14 years and I am truly sorry that my actions will prevent me from providing a voice for you in the Legislature. My prayer is that my successor will stand up and fight for the people of our District in the future.”
Despite such contrition, her constituents are still left to try to make their way without her in the Capitol to serve as a focal point for their concerns and political energies.
“[Terri and I have] done a lot of political activity together,” said Bernice J. Washington, a retired businesswoman and longtime community activist. “We’ve got a long-standing relationship working on community issues, everything ranging from economic development to [elderly issues], and more importantly, just dealing with the overall justice system.”
In Washington’s view, what set Hodge apart was her understanding of the importance of obtaining institutional power for the marginalized. “Terri’s approach to problem-solving has been a clear understanding that everything is political from one perspective or another,” said Washington.
“A lot of the efforts that we were exerting, and processes we were putting in place, they were solutions but we couldn’t implement them because the people who were sitting in the seats were not sensitive to the issues,” Washington added. “The people who were advancing the issues didn’t have a lot of economic strength. All they had was their voting strength.”
“Terri understood that clearly, and I think that was one of the reasons she opted to go the public office route,” Washington said. “[She understood] that to make the rules was as important as people pushing for solutions.”
It remains to be seen how much of a void Hodge’s departure will create. From the standpoint of her constituents Hodge, if not irreplaceable, was nevertheless a rare example of a person with some connection to the downtrodden who managed to obtain a measure of institutional power and use it to help others. No one can be sure how much of her approach will be carried on by her successor, presumably Eric Johnson.
“There’s nothing at all wrong with his ambition or where he’s trying to go,” Bernice J. Washington said of Johnson. “However, I know the political process well enough. In fact, I ran the financial arms of Ron Kirk’s campaigns, so I understand politics real clearly. There is a learning curve, I don’t care how brilliant you are.”
Most observers believe that Johnson needs to avoid brashness in wooing Hodge’s supporters while continuing to stress the ways that he’s a product of the district.
“He’s very well-positioned from the viewpoint that he was born in the inner city,” said Bernice J. Washington, “and I would hope that he would have some sensitivity to the real issues in the inner city while still having the ability to marry that street knowledge with his potential supporters who have the economic wherewithal and the political clout to make some of the things happen that he’s interested in making happen. That’s going to be his true test, and the true test of anybody who steps into that seat.”
To be sure, Dallasites are weary of scandal, and even Hodge’s supporters stop short at apologizing for her. However, there is a lingering sentiment among District 100 residents that Hodge’s true crime was overstepping her bounds for the sake of doing the people’s work.
© Dallas Examiner. All rights reserved.
© Dallas Examiner. All rights reserved.
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