Rory Lancman

Rory Lancman was born and raised in Queens, where he has lived in the Twenty-Fourth Council District for forty years. He is a graduate of Public School 164, Parsons Junior High School, Hillcrest High School, Queens College of the City University of New York and Columbia Law School. Prior to being elected to City Council, Rory served three terms in the New York State Assembly, where he chaired the Assembly Subcommittee on Workplace Safety. His legislative agenda in the Assembly focused on issues related to workplace safety, homeland security, public safety and government reform. Rory authored numerous laws, including: - the "Juvenile Justice Worker Protection Act," which requires private juvenile justice programs and facilities to comply with the New York State Workplace Violence Prevention Law; - the "Libel Terrorism Protection Act," which protects authors and journalists from politically motivated overseas defamation judgments and which prompted congress to pass similar legislation on the national level; - the "Freedom to Report Terrorism Act," which insulates citizens who report suspicious behavior to the police from harassing lawsuits; - the "Public Servant Soldier Salary Act," which requires New York City to pay city employees called to active military duty the difference in salary between their military pay and city pay while deployed, guaranteeing soldiers and their families financial stability; - the "Non-Profit Homeland Security Preparedness Study Act," which directed the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services to study the security needs of New York’s non-profit institutions and to recommend strategies to make them safer; - the "Hospital Closure Planning Act," which requires the New York State Department of Health to conduct a public forum when a hospital closes and to establish a plan for ensuring the continuity of essential healthcare services in the affected neighborhoods; - the "Public Schools Emergency Alert Act," which requires the New York City Department of Education to establish an electronic emergency alert notification system in public schools; - the "Access to Justice in Lending Act," which gives homeowners who successfully defend against improper foreclosure proceedings the right to recover attorneys’ fees from their banks; - the "Jury Pool Fair Representation Act," which requires the recording of prospective jurors' demographic data to ensure that juries represent a fair cross-section of the community; and - legislation allowing parents and community members to receive instant e-mail alerts when a sex offender moves into their neighborhood. Prior to being elected to the State Assembly, Rory served on Community Board 8 for sixteen years, chairing first the Aging Committee and then the Youth & Education Committee. For five years he chaired the Queens Hospital Center Community Advisory Board, during which time he led the community's successful fight to rebuild the hospital and prevent its privatization. Additionally, Rory was vice president of the Flushing Heights Civic Association, a board member of the Queens Jewish Community Council, a board member and chair of the legislative committee of the New York State Trial Lawyers Association, a board member of the Brandeis Bar Association, a New York City Civil Court Small Claims Arbitrator and a volunteer coach in the Auburndale Soccer League. Rory also served in New York’s own 42nd Infantry Division from 1988 to 1992, where he ultimately served as an infantry platoon leader. Among the organizations that have honored Rory for his service to our community include the New York State Occupational Health Clinics Network; the Greater New York Hospital Association; American Friends of Magen David Adom; the Sikh Community of the Gurdwara Baba Makhan Shan Lobana; Queens Hospital Center; the Northeast Queens Branch of the NAACP; the Neighborhood Preservation Alliance Foundation; the 102nd and 107th Precinct Community Councils; the Auburndale Soccer Club; the Richmond Hill Block Association; the New York Filipino American Basketball Association; and the Western New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health. He was also selected as a 2010 Council of State Governments Eastern Leadership Academy Fellow. Rory has also authored numerous opinion articles on issues important to New Yorkers, including, "The Limits of Mayoral Philanthropy," Huffington Post, Dec. 9, 2013; "Sandy Recovery Must Include Safe Working Conditions," Huffington Post, Nov. 27, 2012; "Anti-Semitism and Anti-Israel Advocacy," Jerusalem Post, Nov. 7, 2011; "Beyond the Occupation," Huffington Post, Oct. 6, 2011; "Don't Reward the Palestinians' 'Lawfare' Campaign with Statehood: Make Peace with Israel First," New York Daily News, Sept. 22, 2011; "Wall Street’s Sheriff Needs Many More Deputies," Bloomberg View, May 3, 2011; "Court Rings False Note On False Confessions," N.Y. Law Journal, Apr. 11, 2011; "Beware Of The Wise Men, N.Y.," Albany Times Union, Mar. 19, 2010; "A Political Frankenstein's Monster," N.Y. Law Journal, Feb. 9, 2010; "Protecting Our Journalists From Libel Terrorism," Human Events, Jan. 21, 2008; "Iran: Zero Margin For Error," N.Y. Sun, Dec. 5, 2007; "Dems Must Confront Iran," New York Daily News, November 19, 2007; and "New York Can Help Subprime Mortgage Borrowers," Newsday, Nov. 23, 2007. Rory lives in Hillcrest, Queens, with his wife Morgan and their three children.