Westminster’s Lam to Retire From Politics

Tony Lam, the first Vietnamese American elected to public office in the United States, announced Thursday that he is retiring from politics and will not seek a fourth term on the Westminster City Council.

Lam, 75, said he wants to spend more time with his wife, Hop, their six children and nine grandchildren. He also plans to work as the general manager of his nephew’s tofu plant in Westminster.

“I want to enjoy other interests, so I have made the bittersweet decision not to run for reelection,” Lam said at a news conference as he choked back tears.

Lam was hailed as a political trailblazer when he won a seat on the Westminster council in 1992. Many in the city praised him for helping unite the city’s huge Vietnamese population with the rest of the city.

But Lam has faced his share of criticism.

In 1999, he was faulted by some in Little Saigon for not being more outspoken after a video merchant displayed a picture of the late North Vietnamese communist leader Ho Chi Minh in his store. A group of activists protested in front of Lam’s restaurant that year. He also was frequently attacked in the Vietnamese-language media for not being sufficiently anti-communist.

“I’ve been in the arena and indeed my face has been marred with dust, sweat and blood,” Lam said, reflecting on his years in office. “Despite the hardships, I have loved every minute of it.”

In Vietnam, Lam worked for the United States Agency for International Development, and later became an industrialist and owner of construction and processing plants.

After fleeing his homeland at the end of the Vietnam War, he began a new life in the United States in 1975 as an insurance agent. Later he became co-owner and operator of three restaurants in Little Saigon.

He served on the board of trustees of Humana Hospital and the Orange County Community Council and was president of the Orange County Vietnamese-American Chamber of Commerce.

Lam billed himself as a “crime fighter, tax fighter” when he won office in 1992. He worked to help Vietnamese immigrants get business licenses and pushed for construction of a senior center.

He is also credited with helping convince the state to place “Little Saigon” freeway markers.

“My effort was to bring the Vietnamese into mainstream America,” Lam said.

Officials have hailed Lam for overcoming barriers between the two cultures. “He’s always tried to meld the two traditions and cultures together,” said Reginald Crozier, a member of Westminster’s Cultural Arts Commission who has known Lam for six years. “He’s offered a richness that we didn’t have before.”

Said Lam: “To friends and foes, the torch has been passed to a new generation. I’ve paid my dues.”