Al Hoang has faced a string of controversies since his election in 2009 as Houston's first Vietnamese council member.
Karen WarrenCouncilman Al Hoang pocketed tens of thousands of dollars in donations meant for the local Vietnamese community organization he headed prior to his election as District F councilman, a lawsuit by a group of Vietnamese civic activists claims.
Hoang denies the charges and has countersued the plaintiffs for what he considers libel.
The lawsuit is another step in what Hoang sees as a persistent campaign of harassment against him. Detractors have been so aggressive, he said, they once mailed him a photograph of themselves urinating on the graves of his parents.
He is a target not for any legal improprieties, he said, but for his maturing attitude toward Vietnam, one that has evolved from focusing on the regime's violent overthrow to one of promoting change from within the country through trade and dialogue.
"They want me to use this seat as a base to overthrow the Communist government" of Vietnam, Hoang said.
Outside of court, Hoang is being challenged for re-election by Hoc Thai Nguyen, a businessman who claims Hoang's sister-in-law threatened to poison his children, calls Hoang "the Gadhafi of Houston," and says he fears for his life because he believes Hoang is capable of killing him. Nguyen is not a plaintiff in the lawsuit.
Peter René, an information technology manager with no involvement in the internecine Vietnamese conflict, also is challenging Hoang.
The councilman has faced a string of controversies since his election in 2009 as Houston's first Vietnamese council member.
Residency issues
It started with questions about his residency because he and his wife claimed homestead exemptions on two separate homes, one in Pearland.
Last year, the city's Office of Inspector General exonerated Hoang after investigating a complaint alleging he had failed to disclose an ownership interest in a Vietnamese community center in which the city of Houston leases space.
The OIG opened another investigation of Hoang in June in response to complaints from people who said their signatures were forged on a petition Hoang submitted to the city to change the name of his street.
The OIG concluded that some signatures had been forged but assigned no blame to Hoang and found he had not violated any council ethics standards. He still is a defendant in a civil lawsuit regarding the forgeries.
The lawsuit over the money, filed by several officials with the Vietnamese Community of Houston & Vicinities, known by its Vietnamese acronym of VNCH, asks Hoang to account for about $54,000 in revenue in 2008. That is the difference between what the VNCH 2008 annual report recorded and what the organization reported as income to the IRS.
Hoang, who is representing himself in the case, argues that the plaintiffs have made basic accounting errors, such as counting loans Hoang made to the organization as assets instead of liabilities.
Expenses questioned
The lawsuit also claims Hoang arranged for the organization to purchase the community center without the board's approval and that he cannot document tens of thousands of dollars of expenses for which he claimed reimbursement from VNCH.
Hoang has produced copies of checks drawn on both his personal and law office accounts that he says proves he paid organization expenses for which he legitimately could claim reimbursement.
Plaintiff Peter Tran said the lawsuit is not about Vietnam.
"I'm talking about the money," Tran said.
Twice Hoang has rekindled decades-old debates in District F's Vietnamese community in the course of City Council business.
First, he accepted an invitation to travel to Vietnam with Houston Airport System Director Mario Diaz with the aim of establishing direct airline service between Houston and a Vietnamese city.
A community uproar ensued, and Hoang ultimately did not make the trip.
Last year Hoang presented a proclamation to the Chinese consulate in Houston to commemorate the 61st anniversary of the establishment of the People's Republic of China.
Role of history
Engagement with Vietnam still stirs anger among local, particularly older, Vietnamese, explained Long Le, director of International Initiatives for Global Studies at the University of Houston's Bauer College of Business. These Vietnamese blame communism for their displacement, he said.
With respect to China, the nation's history of invasion of Vietnam and the current territorial dispute between the two countries over islands with oil rights fuel disapproval among many Vietnamese of even ceremonial recognition of China, Le said.
Hoang makes the case for re-election for his role in luring a division of appliance maker Emerson to Houston.
He also said his work in helping efforts to establish a trade center for Asian goods in the vacant Sharpstown Mall Macy's store will help the community's economy. He said he also is proud of getting the city to commit to spending $20 million on the repair and renovation of Bellaire Boulevard and $2 million on the Alief Community Center.
Nguyen pledges to work on public safety issues and creating jobs. He had no specifics on how he would address either issue. He also said he personally opposes the presence of a Vietnamese consulate in Houston but defers to federal authority on where to authorize diplomatic facilities.
Library annex sought
René, who heads a non-profit organization that offers classical voice training to low-income students, said District F residents need more access to their council representative, and he pledged to hold monthly town hall meetings.
He also plans to push for an annex to the Alief Library that would include a community center.
He said he would use his position as council member to solicit donations from companies in support of neighborhood projects such as Alief's community garden and after-school programs.
He would also make neighborhood beautification a priority.
"We have to get people happy again, and comfortable, and proud of their council member," René said.
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