Despite his position on Rikers, the city’s corrections union has continued to support Lancman, giving him the maximum allowed donation in his 2013 and 2017 campaigns. According to Lancman, his “commitment to closing Rikers is driven in part by my commitment to keeping corrections officers safe, and [the union] appreciates that even if they don’t agree with me on closing Rikers itself.”

Still, the contributions may raise eyebrows among criminal justice reform advocates, who are already troubled by Lancman’s 2015 support as a council member for adding 1,300 new NYPD officers during a period when crime rates have been consistently dropping in the city. There was near-unanimity between the progressive City Council and Mayor de Blasio on the issue, but critics still questioned the move.