Listen
Barbara Quattro, who says she has lived in Alief since 1979, is upset because she doesn't feel represented by Steve Le. He became the council member for District F last month.
"When I first heard that he was running for office, I started asking around," Quattro said. "It seemed like all the Vietnamese in Alief knew that he didn't live here. They said, no, he lives in Kingwood."
Quattro said the same has happened twice before in District F since she started paying attention in 2003. She and others have made multiple trips to City Hall and addressed the council about their concern.
Le said he and his wife started renting a home in Alief in 2014. Houston's city charter requires a candidate for City Council to live in the district they want to represent for at least a year before Election Day.
"So I'm not sure what the controversy that she feels is," Le said. "But we've been there for a while, two years now. And we've been active in the community actually for close to 10 years now."
Le said he often stays at his parents' house in Kingwood because it's closer to the Cleveland clinic where he works.
Bob Stein, a political scientist at Rice University, said the law is clear on what constitutes a residence, "it's just hard to figure out whether or not he really lives there or if he just conveniently has an apartment he rents and occasionally shows up to pay the rent, pick up the mail."
Meanwhile, the Harris County Attorney's Office is investigating a complaint by Quattro. First Assistant County Attorney Robert Soard says they have met with Le and are talking to neighbors.
Soard did not comment on any findings they've made.