Hollister
– John Hodges is a real San Benito old-timer.
Born in 1940, Hodges grew up in Paicines and Tres Pinos, and he
first joined the San Benito County government in 1961. Now he’s
retiring from his 24-year tenure as the county’s clerk/auditor/
recorder.
Hollister – John Hodges is a real San Benito old-timer.
Born in 1940, Hodges grew up in Paicines and Tres Pinos, and he first joined the San Benito County government in 1961. Now he’s retiring from his 24-year tenure as the county’s clerk/auditor/
recorder.
“I’ve seen (county administrative officers) come and go, I’ve seen judges come and go and I’ve seen all the department heads come and go,” Hodges said.
When he was 21, Hodges wanted to become a sheriff’s deputy, but the sheriff passed him over in favor of childhood friend Robbie Scattini.
“The sheriff felt bad, so he talked to the assessor and said, ‘See if you can get John a job as an appraiser,'” Hodges recalled.
Not only did he get the job, he took over leadership of the office in 1967. Hodges eventually moved on from the assessor’s office, founding Gavilan Tire and Brake Service in 1970. After being bought out, Hodges entered a period of semi-retirement, but he kept busy as a member of Hollister’s City Council and served one year as mayor.
As for becoming county clerk, Hodges said that too was at the suggestion of others.
“Some of the supervisors told me, ‘Hey Hodges, why don’t you run, and we’ll help,'” he said.
Hodges agreed. He won the office in the 1982, and again in 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998 and 2002.
“One of the things that made me real successful is having a staff that’s smarter than me,” he said.
As one of his biggest achievements, Hodges points to the modernization of the office.
“We try to keep it darn near paperless,” he said. “My main thrills were being state of the art, compared to the county’s other offices.”
Scattini, who is now the county marshal, said that Hodges has done a good job as clerk.
“John is John,” Scattini said. “He’s always done things his own way. Some people didn’t like it, and some people did. … He’s a character, that’s for sure.”
The most visible of Hodges’ numerous duties is overseeing county elections as the registrar of voters, a role in which Hodges has seen some recent controversy. In 2004, his office was criticized for absentee ballot problems, and the Department of Justice threatened to sue the county for not providing enough voting resources for Spanish-speaking residents.
In response to these criticisms, Hodges has said, “In the long run, that was a situation in which the county and the voters gained.”
And although there have been concerns with the voting machines used on Nov. 7, Hodges previously described the recent election as “flawless, basically.”
Hodges said that he’s retiring because he’s started to feel like it’s time to move on.
“This feeling gets into your system, that it’s time to let someone come in to take over the operation,” he said.
Following the announcement of his plans to retire as clerk, Hodges launched a bid for the District 4 supervisor’s seat, but lost in the June primary.
Now, Hodges said, he will be returning to his “grass roots”: raising cattle.
“I’ve seen a lot of changes,” he said. “It’s time for me to go out to pasture with my old horse Jack.”
Anthony Ha covers local government for the Free Lance. Reach him at 637-5566 ext. 330 or ah*@fr***********.com.
