State Senator Janet Nguyen’s tenure as Orange County’s First District Supervisor is coming full circle — with her former Chief of Staff Nick Tam Lecong returning to work for another former chief of staff, now Supervisor Andrew Do, as an executive assistant.
Lecong returned to work for the county Feb. 6, according to an economic disclosure form filed earlier this month, after retiring at the end of 2013.
As a top political aide to Do, Lecong earns $60.59 an hour, the top of the salary range for executive assistants, according to county spokeswoman Jean Pasco.
Lecong has been a controversial figure in county politics.
In Apr. 2013, the Orange County Register reported that Lecong earned $105,420 a year while clocking in an average of 13 hours a week at his county office, far fewer than other executive assistants earning similar pay.
Nguyen defended Lecong in The Register’s article, saying “I need my staff out in the community, not sitting behind a desk.”
While a city of Garden Grove councilwoman, Nguyen appointed Lecong to the Planning Commission. He followed her to the county in 2007, when Nguyen was elected as supervisor, and abruptly departed in 2010.
After retiring from the county at the end of 2013, Lecong started a Vietnamese language radio and television program, Vietlink Radio, and worked for Nguyen’s State Senate campaign as a consultant.
Lecong’s company, T&T Consulting Translation, was paid $19,600 in 2014 by Nguyen’s campaign for consulting services. Vietlink Radio also received $5,600 for radio airtime and production costs, according to state campaign records.
Brook Adams LLC, owned by Lecong’s spouse, also received $12,000 from Nguyen’s campaign for consulting services that year.
Contact Thy Vo at thyanhvo@gmail.com or follow her on Twitter @thyanhvo.