Iman Osman quietly completed his term on the Lewiston School Committee Monday night, attending his final meeting without participating as unresolved questions surrounding his residency, ethics, and pending criminal charges continued to dominate public concern.
Osman remained present for the entirety of the meeting but did not take part in deliberations on several agenda items, including discussions over flag policies, the selection of a new school committee chair, or public comment.
His silence and perceived lack of knowledge of the issues came as members of the public used the comment period to directly challenge both Osman and school leadership over what they described as a failure of transparency and accountability.
During public comment, resident Marcel Leclair criticized Osman for refusing to publicly disclose his address or provide confirmation that he resides within the ward he represents. Leclair said Osman has cited “personal safety concerns” as the reason for withholding the information, “while still appearing publicly at a rally over the weekend.”
That rally included Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner, and several gubernatorial candidates, including Nirav Shah and Troy Jackson.
Another speaker, Andrew Jones, congratulated Osman on moving up to the Lewiston City Council, but said he hoped for Osman’s “swift removal from office, and a future jail cell.”
Despite the pointed criticism, the school committee did not discuss Osman’s residency, public demands to revisit a previous vote related to the issue, or allegations that Osman and fellow committee member Elizabeth Eames failed to recuse themselves from deliberations involving Osman’s eligibility to serve.
Critics have argued that the failure to recuse constituted a violation of Robert’s Rules of Order, which govern parliamentary procedure for many public bodies. Critics also questioned how the city council member appointed to the school committee, Scott Harriman, did not speak on the issue.
Superintendent Jake Langlais has not addressed the residency controversy publicly during school committee meetings or in statements to the public, a silence that several speakers said further undermined confidence in district leadership.
Monday’s meeting also marked the final session for outgoing chair Megan Parks, who did not seek reelection. She made no reference to the disputed vote or residency concerns and allowed the meeting to be interrupted multiple times by outbursts from community activist Melissa Dunn, drawing additional criticism from residents who said the disruptions highlighted a lack of firm leadership.
Osman’s departure from the school committee comes as the City Council prepares to name a replacement to fill his vacant seat. Osman is scheduled to be sworn in as a city councilor on January 5, just days before he is due to appear in court on multiple gun-related charges, a case that has further fueled public scrutiny of his rise to higher office.
For many in attendance, the meeting served as another example of what they described as systemic leadership failures in Lewiston, with contentious issues left unresolved and public trust further strained as one chapter closed and another, equally controversial, begins.
