By Alex Christodoulides
Lancman fills the seat vacated by disgraced Assemblyman Brian McLaughlin, who announced a year ago that he would not seek another term because he wanted to devote more time to his work as head of the Central Labor Council. In October McLaughlin was indicted on racketeering and fraud charges. Lancman defeated engineer Morshed Alam in a contentious Democratic primary and again in the general election.City Comptroller William Thompson lauded Lancman's sense of purpose, “All too often, people go in thinking it's all about them. You've stood up and fought for your community and you've earned this,” he said.The seat in the 25th Assembly District covers Whitestone, Flushing, Briarwood and Richmond Hill. U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-Forest Hills) said Lancman has deep roots in the community.”When people are making a decision about who to vote for, they want … someone who knows the difference between getting along and fighting for the community,” Weiner said. “You also want someone who knows when to take off the velvet glove and show the iron fist.”Lancman himself spoke about fighting for the community, asking those present to help direct him in Albany.”What I do depends less on me than on you,” he reminded the packed audience in St. John's University's Bent hall auditorium. “I'm going to go up to Albany and fight for New York City's fair share of education money, for affordable health care – not because it's the right thing to do but because when I go to senior centers people ask me:'When are you going to do something about the cost of prescription drugs?'” he said.He went on to list projects for specific neighborhoods.”I'm going to establish senior centers in Richmond Hill. I'm going to continue to work on traffic safety at PS 117 and 217. For residents of Parkway Village, I'm going to lower energy costs. In Hillcrest Village, I'll help residents enforce the new zoning they've fought so hard to get. I'm going to make sure Kissena Park stays a beautiful park. “And for Broadway-Flushing, I'll help you preserve the beauty and architectural integrity of the houses in your neighborhood,” Lancman said.Former Queens Borough President Claire Shulman met Lancman when they served on the Queens Hospital Center board, and said, “For somebody like me, who's been in government over 30 years, it's good to know our government is in good hands,” Shulman said.Reach reporter Alex Christodoulides by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 155.
