Houston District F Councilman Le will not seek another term
Houston City Councilman Steve Le announced Wednesday he will not seek a second term in November, leaving an open race for his District F seat and ensuring the southwestern district will get a new representative for the fourth straight election.
Le, a physician who practices in Cleveland, narrowly defeated incumbent Richard Nguyen in 2015, winning a runoff by about 230 votes, or 3 percentage points. He had drawn five opponents — including Nguyen — before deciding not to run again.
Le was seen as one of the most vulnerable incumbent council members seeking reelection.
Citing questions and a city investigation into the work habits and time cards of his former chief of staff, Daniel Albert, constituents and neighborhood leaders had called on Le to fire Albert and resign his seat.
The Chronicle last month found Albert, then the highest-paid council staffer, had claimed work days or sick days to continue collecting his $119,600 city salary while participating in a U.S. Army military law training program outside of Texas.
Le fired Albert last month after a city investigation into Albert’s time cards concluded he violated city policies, displayed a pattern of “untruthfulness,” and should repay a portion of the salary he collected during the four-month program.
Le also faced residency ques
tions upon taking office, as he had more formal links to a home in Kingwood than to the district address he listed in Alief. His business was registered at the Kingwood property, he was one of five people listed on the deed of trust for the property, and he, at the time, registered three of his four vehicles at that address.
Le did not return calls for comment Wednesday. In a statement to KPRC, he said he plans to return to his medical practice and pointed to several accomplishments, contending the district’s infrastructure improved during his tenure.
“My goal when running for election was to work with the mayor and current council to implement changes that would benefit the residents of Houston, be fiscally responsible with our budget, improve street and drainage conditions of District F, (and) increase public safety,” the statement said.
In addition to Nguyen, candidates Anthony Nelson, John Nguyen, Tiffany Thomas and Jesus Zamora are seeking to represent the southwest Houston district that covers parts of
Alief, Eldridge-West Oaks, Sharpstown and Westchase.
Van Huynh, Le’s chief of staff, said Wednesday he, too, will run for the seat, and has filed a report with the city secretary’s office designating a campaign treasurer.
The District F seat has flipped in each of the last two elections, decided by a margin of about 3 percentage points both times amid turnout far lower than any other district. About 10,700 people voted in the 2015 District F council race, compared with about 37,000 in District C, the district with the highest turnout.
Alief Super Neighborhood president Barbara Quattro, a longtime critic of Le, said his decision not to run again is “the first good judgment he’s shown since I’ve known him.”
Julie Sagissor, a civic leader in the Tanglewilde neighborhood, called Le’s announcement “a relief.”
“It’s good news for the district, and I think he should step down now because he is undeserving of the respect and responsibility that comes with this position,” she said. “I’m looking forward to a big change in November.”