Washtenaw County Commissioner, District 5 · University of Michigan Professor of Social Work · Brown Endorser 2026
Photo: Washtenaw County official
Washtenaw County Commissioner, District 5 · Sworn in January 6, 2021 · University of Michigan Professor of Social Work · hodgej@washtenaw.org
Why He Matters
Justin Hodge is the single most documented commissioner in The Ypsilantian's archive — with confirmed connections to every major county accountability failure from 2020 to 2026. He is the connective tissue of the network.
Documented Connections
CABLE — Chaired Law Enforcement Advisory Board (2020)
Hodge chaired the Washtenaw County Community Advisory Board for Law Enforcement (CABLE) at the time of the May 26, 2020 Sha'Teina Grady El incident — in which a Washtenaw County Sheriff's deputy punched a Black woman on video. The video went viral. Hodge, as CABLE chair, posted a survey on the Sheriff's website asking residents what changes should be made, then presented results to Sheriff Clayton. The Grady Els were charged four months after the incident, prosecuted for nearly four years, and acquitted on all charges January 31, 2024.
Supreme Felons Inc. — $1.2M ARPA Vote (July 2022)
Hodge voted yes on the unanimous Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners vote granting Supreme Felons Inc. $1.2 million in federal ARPA funds. At the time of the vote: the organization's president (Billy Cole) was on parole, its co-founder (Alan Fuqua) was a registered sex offender, its grant proposal contained fabricated school partnership claims, and it had never filed a federal tax return. Violent crime in the target zip codes rose 56% during the grant period.
Mackinac Conference — Asberry Payne Fraud
Hodge had his travel to the Mackinac Policy Conference paid for using Washtenaw County Administrator Alize Asberry Payne's county-issued credit card. Asberry Payne charged approximately $115,000 in unauthorized personal and political expenses to the county card. She resigned in 2024. Hodge overspent his county travel budget.
August 15, 2023 — Township Board Ambush
Hodge was among four county commissioners who appeared without notice at a Ypsilanti Township Board meeting on August 15, 2023, in what the township attorney described as an attempt to intimidate trustees. The other three commissioners present: Annie Somerville, Caroline Sanders, Crystal Lyte — all of whom also voted yes on the Supreme Felons grant.
Nicole Brown Endorsement (2026)
Hodge has endorsed Nicole Brown for mayor in the 2026 race. Brown is running against Amber Fellows, who has documented the accountability failures Hodge's votes contributed to.
The Pattern
Hodge chaired the law enforcement oversight board when a deputy punched a Black woman on video — and the result was a survey, not discipline. He voted for a $1.2M grant to an organization led by a parolee and a registered sex offender without asking about either. He attended public meetings at county expense using a fraudulent card. He participated in what a township attorney characterized as an intimidation effort. He then endorsed the incumbent mayor.
No single vote or act defines Hodge. The pattern across six years does.