Lewiston Braces for Chaos as Indicted Councilor-Elect Osman Refuses to Step Down

A political firestorm in Lewiston is intensifying as Councilor-elect Iman Osman, now indicted on theft-related charges, insists he will take office in January despite mounting public pressure, residency questions, and calls for his removal from multiple city bodies.

Osman has been ordered to appear for arraignment on Wednesday, January 7, 2026, at 8:30 a.m. at the courthouse on Lisbon Street. The indictment, handed out Wednesday, adds yet another layer to a controversy that has consumed city government for weeks.

Osman’s attorney, Kieran Majerus-Collins, issued a statement Thursday declaring that Osman “denies these charges and intends to fight them” and “has no plans to step down from public office,” signaling a contentious path ahead.

But the legal case is only one part of the unfolding crisis. Lewiston residents and officials have long questioned whether Osman actually lives in Ward 5 he was elected to represent. Those concerns intensified after details emerged about a drug raid involving an address connected to him, 210 Blake Street, raising questions about why he was ever allowed to hold public positions in the first place.

Last month, it was revealed that Osman was appointed to the Lewiston School Committee in December 2024 by Mayor Carl Sheline, despite the residency issue already being raised publicly at that time. That appointment is now under renewed scrutiny as four School Committee members have formally called on Osman to resign from the seat.

Yet, residents say one part of the controversy is being conspicuously ignored by city leadership: Mayor Sheline has refused to comment on whether Osman should remain on the School Committee, addressing only the question if the council seat. That silence, critics say, has become its own crisis as residents question why the mayor will not speak about his own appointee.

The Lewiston City Council is scheduled to meet January 6, 2026, just one day before Osman’s arraignment. Whether councilors will address the indictment, the residency dispute, or the growing public frustration remains unclear.

Osman has not responded to multiple inquiries from Maine Wire and other media outlets. Through his attorney, he maintains that he will take office as scheduled.

With a criminal arraignment pending, residency questions unresolved, and the School Committee now openly urging his removal, Lewiston is heading into the new year with a political controversy that shows no sign of slowing and a city government bracing for impact.