As the electioneering campaign gathers momentum in Anguilla, a new candidate, in the person of Mr. Sutcliffe Hodge, has stepped into the political arena motivated by a desire to serve, or, in his words, “to rescue Anguilla.”

Mr. Hodge, an independent candidate, is highly qualified and experienced in business management and marketing, is known to be a very astute and assertive gentleman and is a graduate of Nova University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Mr. Sutcliffe Hodge

For a decade and a half, he has been in top executive positions at Cable and Wireless and most recently LIME, and is now transitioning in the hope of becoming a leader of his island home, Anguilla, in the general election due early next year. He officially announced his candidacy last weekend “after careful and prayerful consideration.”

Mr. Hodge told The Anguillian that his decision to seek political office had its origins many years ago. “Way back, while living in the United States, I recognised that at some point I would need to get involved in the political leadership of Anguilla,” he said. “In 1980 I returned to Anguilla with a view to getting involved maybe as early as then when I was just about 33 years old. I however stepped back for a while, thinking that perhaps it was better for me to build a career, enhance my management capability and establish myself before getting involved in the political process.”

The desire for political leadership may have seeped into his blood stream from the days of the involvement of his late father, Collins Hodge, in the 1967 Anguilla Revolution and up to the formal separation of the island from St. Kitts-Nevis. “I saw myself as wanting to ensure that my father’s legacy continued and to help to translate what I thought was his vision,” he stated. “It plagued me for many years about when the time would be right for me to get involved in the leadership of Anguilla. Just about every time election came around I would say to myself: 'Is it this time?’
"However, some months ago, when I recognised the enormity of the challenges we have before us, especially some of the economic challenges; while I think that some of them are due to the global economic downturn, I think that there is sufficient evidence that we have also seen a lot of fiscal irresponsibility. I think that as such there is a lot of burden on the people of Anguilla as a consequence.

“In recent times I found myself at the crossroads: do I sit back yet again and not get involved in the leadership of this island, when I fully well know that at this stage, I have something to contribute in the area of leadership of the country? Maybe about three months ago a group of us started talking …how we can assist with being directly involved in the election process as candidates, and then one person made a comment that in order to bring about change in Anguilla it is going to require a 24/7 commitment, and that resonated with me.” He recalled that another incident which led to his decision was the public forum at which the Government outlined the financial situation of Anguilla.

“I walked away from that session feeling very perplexed. Following that I got a call from a very dear friend saying ‘we can no longer sit back and not engage, if Anguilla is to be saved,'" he remembered. “That night I went to bed and was restless and two questions kept coming to my mind: 'If not now, when?’, 'If not me, who?'”

Mr. Hodge was asked what areas of Government in Anguilla appealed to his interest. He replied in part: “Clearly, when one is experienced in general management, it means that you are in a position to step back and make decisions, selecting the best option. Certainly, I can serve in the Ministry of Communications, Works and Public Utilities. I taught at the University of St. Maarten, and also here in Anguilla, so I also think I can bring something to the table with respect to education. While I don’t claim to be an expert in any one area, I think I bring some well-rounded experience and knowledge that can be utilised just about any area in Government.”
Mr. Hodge commented that Anguilla, having a population of around 15,000, with a per capita income of 9,000 to 11,000 US dollars per annum, had to be “very careful especially when we don’t have much of a tax base.” He said, “We are struggling to find a tax base that sustains the recurrent expenditures of this country, let alone the capital infrastructural challenges that we have which we are finding it difficult to finance.”
The new political aspirant continued: “There are five pillars on which I think my candidacy would be based. One is going to be economic sustainability, economic reform. We have to look at our cost before we start talking about revenue. When a budget is put together, we need to ensure that we are getting value for money so it is efficiency and effectiveness of every dollar spent. I believe in zero-based budgeting where every year we essentially start with a blank sheet of paper and say how we want to run this country for the next 12 months…So we do a cost justification for every dollar spent to ensure that we maximize our revenue and then we look at revenue and we also need to look at capital projects. But zero-based budgeting, with an understanding of what the requirements are to run the country, has to be essential.

“The other thing of paramount importance is our social problems. We have a society that is falling apart. Values are out the door; our youth, especially our young boys, are out of control. We all live in Anguilla now fearing for our lives, concerned about violence and home invasions etc. A few short years ago we didn’t have to worry too much about crime in Anguilla. Today we have the highest number of prisoners per capita of any Caribbean island and, to be honest with you, it is the social decay that is one of the primary drivers for my wanting to get in politics right now…

“We have been talking a very long time about having adequate medical insurance. To my mind, having a national insurance scheme that ensures that all our citizens have access to the best possible care, that an insurance policy would allow, is something I would support. I like the idea of private insurance that is, Government, through the imposition of some sort of tax, like social security, collects the revenue and will then purchase insurance from private companies, that will ensure that all 15,000 of us [are taken care of]." He saw this arrangement as resulting in a situation where the premiums paid would be substantially less than what Government was now paying “in a very ad hoc way.”
Mr. Hodge who also spoke about education to address social problems, said: “I am of the view that we should change the school day and start classes much earlier in the morning and finish the formal education around 1.30; and from about 2 to 5.30 or 6 o’clock engage our children, at secondary level, in other curricular activities that would include sports, arts, culture and music. It might also include a mandatory cadet corps programme that instills discipline. Part of that time, between 2 and 6, can also be used for homework so that at the end of the school day, when the children go home, they can socialise with their families and sleep.”
The fifth matter he mentioned was the environment, about which he stated in part. “This involves issues of cleanliness, coastal protection [from erosion], issues of ensuring that we do not have chemicals running off into landfill and eventually go out in the sea and destroy the coral reefs,” he stressed. “We need to build a nation that is sustainable…We should be here showing that future generations of Anguillians can actually benefit from Anguilla in its natural state as much as possible.”

Mr. Hodge offered this message to the people of Anguilla. “If we want to bring about real change, the way you should do it is by first going out to vote. I think it is very important for people to know that if they want to participate in the growth, development and prosperity of this country, one of the things they must do is to first demonstrate their democratic right at the polls. Then they must ensure that they elect someone who is best able and capable of leading the charge and moving Anguilla in the direction where all of us can benefit.”

Mr. Hodge formally announced his candidacy on Kool Fm 103.3 last weekend as mentioned before. For the record, this is what he said:

“Last week I announced that I would come back to you regarding my decision as to whether or not I would be contesting the upcoming general election currently slated to take place next year.
After careful and prayerful consideration, I have made that decision. I am pleased to announce that indeed I will heed the call to contest the election in District #3 as an independent candidate in the upcoming general election.

I would not have made this decision to be a candidate without the support of my wife Mille and my two children Angele & Devin, all of whom insisted that I help to make a change to rescue Anguilla. The support of my sisters, brothers, nieces and nephews was also very important. I thank them for their love and overwhelming support. To my many dear friends and fans who have rallied behind me, thank you for your assistance. Those of you who called me out to run in this election, I thank you for persisting. I am ready for duty and I will serve this country faithfully and diligently.

I want to put my candidacy into perspective and let you know who I am.

I was born on my beloved grandmother’s bed in Canifist some 52 years ago; the first boy of 12 children - to the late Collins O. Hodge and the late Joseta Lenora (Lenny) Hodge. I grew up with my parents and brothers and sisters in a two room section of my grand father’s house in Stoney Ground. For most of my youth I slept on the floor on a rug which my auntie had sent from New York.

As a child I was kept very busy with chores from an early age. Like many other Anguillian children I had to pick wood, attend the animals and assist with planting, scraping and harvesting the corn, peas & potatoes. We had two lots of land in the Valley Bottom that we cultivated. One of our grounds was next to Flossy, Dennis Harrigan’s (Tompanny) mother on one side, and Miss Jane, Yanchie’s mother, on the other side. The other lot was adjacent to the ground of the late Tommy Richardson (Wonchie’s father) of The Valley.

I attended the Valley Boys School from 1963 to 1969. These were among the best days of my life despite the tough conditions. My school attire consisted of a short khaki pants with elastic in the waist and a shirt. I wore no shoes. The first underpants I wore, I found down Forrest Bay – it was a Fruit of the Loom.

My father was a mechanic and at a tender age I acquired a keen interest and skill in the trade. By the age of eleven, I was repairing vehicles including rebuilding vehicle engines by myself. I quickly became a breadwinner for my family, doing a lot of mechanic work before going to school in the morning and immediately after getting home in the afternoon. As a consequence of my commitment to my parents and siblings I played little sports growing up.

As a youngster, I closely followed all the activities of the Anguilla Revolution because my father was involved in the leadership of the Revolution. One of the most memorable occurrences for me was 30 May 1967 when we were all sent home from school because Anguillians took control of the Valley Police Station. That afternoon I went with my father to the police station and looked on as the leaders of the Revolution distributed the guns that would later be used to defend our country.

On 19 March 1969 at around 5:00 am our household was awakened by helicopters flying overhead. As a leader of the Anguilla Revolution my father was one of the targets of the British invaders. I recall my father dashing into the bedroom where my mother was and saying to her, "Lenora, I am gone. I don’t know if I am going to see you again.” He left, running through the bushes. The British invasion was on!

Sadly, in 1977, tragedy struck our family. My father was diagnosed with lung cancer. He died one year later at the age of 52, exactly the age I am now, and in many ways this is driving me to serve this country at a political level at this time.

On my father’s death, I became the leader of our family, supporting my mother as best I could. Things were still hard and I moved to New York to find work. I landed a job as a printer, a skill I had already learnt straight out of school in Anguilla, working at Island Press. I never lost sight that Anguilla was my home. In 1980, due to my strong desire to return to assist with the development of the island, I engaged the Government of Anguilla in discussion about starting a printing business. The idea received overwhelming support and my brothers and I were able to establish the Anguilla Printers in Anguilla in May of 1982.

I spent 12 years in the USA, working in the Information Technology industry, as a programmer, systems analyst and a manager responsible for computer software development. I also took the opportunity to continue my education and completed a degree in Management and then an MBA with concentrations in Marketing and International Business.

I met my wife almost 30 years ago and we decided to marry on condition that she would agree to raise our children in Anguilla. We eventually tied the knot in 1982 and 9 weeks after the birth of our second child, we moved back here. I never adopted America as my home, how could I swear allegiance to a foreign land when my father was prepared to die for this country?

Readjusting to Anguilla was tough. We focused on expanding the business and renovating the family house. I taught in the Challenge Programme of the University of the West Indies and at the University of St. Maarten. I also used this period to build a house in Roaches Hill for my family.

In 1993 I joined Cable & Wireless in Anguilla with responsibility for Sales and Marketing. I took up the leadership of the local business in December 1997. I led the Anguilla business for just under 15 years, through periods of immense technological change and telecommunications liberalization; during which time the Anguilla Business was one of the outstanding performers across the region. As a consequence of my leadership ability, I was selected to be part of a small team of 9 that developed the model for restructuring LIME which is currently being implemented across the region. In October of 2008 I was appointed to the position of Executive Vice-president of the Windward Islands responsible for the LIME operations in St Lucia, St Vincent, Grenada and Dominica. I am now transitioning from this role and responding to the call to bring my expertise and experience to contribute to the rescue of Anguilla.

Anguilla is facing some serious economic and social challenges that threaten the quality of life for our citizens. We need to stop infighting, recognize we are on the same team and to approach the external challenges from a position of unity, strength and endurance. As I enter this race, I make one commitment: I will not run a negative campaign. We are facing too many challenges that need urgent attention to be distracted by negativity. I am aware that I have a few detractors out there. Don’t we all? I want to invite them to meet with me. Perhaps we can find a way to work through our differences. If we are to get this country on track all hands will be needed. I believe that I bring a proven track record of leadership in senior management that can benefit Anguilla.

I look forward to discussing the issues with all Anguillians especially with the people of the Valley North constituency. I will be visiting you personally over the coming weeks and months. I am pro Anguilla and strongly believe that we can change things by working together.

Fellow Anguillians, people in the Valley North constituency, I need your help. Please ensure that you’re registered to vote because that’s the way we can bring change.

I look forward to serving faithfully.

May God bless Anguilla and may God bless us all.

I thank you.”

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