Councilman Rory Lancman has officially thrown his hat in the ring in the race for Queens District Attorney.
The current chair of the Committee on the Justice System released a video confirming his bid on Sept. 26. The position is currently held by Richard A. Brown, a seven-term incumbent who has served in the position since he was elected in November 1991. Brown has not yet confirmed whether or not he will seek another term.
“Our criminal justice system is broken from start to finish, but we can fix it by working together. Today, I am proud to announce my candidacy for Queens District Attorney,” said Lancman in a statement.
The video featured Gwen Carr, mother of Eric Garner, the Staten Island man who died at the hands of the police back in 2014.
Lancman’s bid comes as no surprise, having been an advocate for issues like ending over policing, mass incarceration and racial inequality in the criminal justice system. Throughout his years in public office, the councilman has worked for women’s rights, immigrants and individuals in the workforce, according to his website. He has also ensured that legal services were made available to poor and working people in New York City.
Recently, Lancman was endorsed by IBEW LOCAL 3, a union headquartered in Queens that represents 30,000 working people across the city.
“Local 3 and its 30,000 members stand behind Rory Lancman as our next District Attorney because Rory has always stood behind us and all working people in the fight to protect our wages, our safety and our retirement security. We need a DA who will treat wage theft, dangerous workplaces and fraud as the serious crimes that they are. Working people deserve nothing less,” said Chris Erikson, Business Manager of IBEW Local 3.
Lancman responded by saying that he would continue fighting for workers’ rights if appointed Queens district attorney.
“As the District Attorney, I will fight wage theft and unsafe workplaces with the vigor these crimes against working people deserve,” said Lancman. “I have fought my entire career to ensure that the working women and men of labor are respected and protected, and their safety and security will be a priority of my office. Queens was built by union labor, and I will never stop fighting for working people.”
The councilman has also been endorsed by Valerie Bell, mother of Sean Bell who was shot by police the morning before his wedding in 2006, and other members in the Queens community.
Watch Lancman’s announcement video below.
