In its first official meeting of the year, the Lewiston City Council voted to launch an independent investigation into one of its new members.
Ward 5 Councilor Iman Osman faces scrutiny over his legal address at 210 Blake St., which some residents say makes him unqualified to serve.
The building has been condemned since October of last year. Osman said he intends to return once the building is renovated, but there is no timeline for the repairs. The city charter says councilors are required to live in the ward they represent, but is unclear on how long councilors can be away from their legal residence.
"I believe that the investigation is unnecessary," said Osman's lawyer Kiernan Majerus-Collins. "I think it's a waste of the city's time and money. I think that it's likely to lead only to a continuation of this unfair and illegitimate set of attacks on councilor Osman."
Majerus-Collins said Osman will not release his temporary address out of fear of harassment.
Multiple residents spoke in opposition of the resolution, calling it a smear campaign against Lewiston's only Somali-American councilor. All city councilors, except Osman, voted in favor of launching the investigation.
"This is not accountability, this issue is a narrative," said Muhammad, a Ward 5 resident who did not give his last name. "What we are seeing in the media and public conversation has become a racial, political and hostile story. It now feels like the city council is part of it."
The executive director of the Lewiston Auburn Youth Network, Osman was nominated to the city's school committee last year. He won the race for Ward 5 city councilor in November.
Osman was also indicted on unrelated theft charges last year and will be arraigned in Lewiston District Court on Wednesday, Jan. 7.
This prompted Lewiston Mayor Carl Sheline to call for Osman to resign from his role as city councilor. Councilor Susan Longchamps also called for Osman's resignation at the Monday meeting.
The city says it will hire a firm to compile a report by the next city council meeting. Ward 6 Councilor David Chittim, who sponsored the resolution, said the council wanted to resolve any "unwanted distractions."
"I think the best way to resolve this unwanted distraction is to have an independent, third-party investigator present to the council facts, not inuendo, not suggestion, not conjuncture but facts," Chittim said.
