Category: Maine
Somali refugee quits Maine city council hours into term amid gun charge and residency scandal — but blames exit on racism
A Somali refugee who was sworn in as a Maine city council member earlier this week announced his resignation less than 72 hours later amid pending gun-theft charges and other troubling allegations.
Iman Osman, 36, won the city council election in November to represent Lewiston City Council’s Ward 5. Osman previously held a position on the Lewiston School Committee after the mayor nominated him to fill a vacancy.
‘The level of attacks, the vitriol, the racism, and the threats have gotten to the point where he felt like it was in the best interest of his family, his community, and the city to step aside.’
The Lewiston City Council swore in Osman on Monday. However, on the same day, council members voted to initiate an investigation into him.
Authorities charged Osman with crimes related to gun theft in early December after he was accused of obtaining stolen firearms belonging to two separate estates. He has denied all criminal charges and pleaded not guilty on Wednesday, the Maine Wire reported.
Osman’s position on the city council came under further scrutiny when he was accused of falsely listing a condemned building owned by his brother as his residence. There has been speculation that Osman listed the bogus address to secure his previous position on the Lewiston School Committee and his seat on the Lewiston City Council. Critics have raised concerns that Osman does not live in the ward he was elected to represent, which would make him ineligible to serve.
Amid the ongoing controversy and the council’s plan to investigate his residency, Osman submitted his resignation letter to the mayor and city council president on Thursday morning.
“This decision has not come lightly; it stems from my unwavering commitment to the very community I have dedicated my entire life to serving,” Osman wrote in his resignation letter, a copy of which was obtained by the Maine Wire.
“Last year, I ran for City Council because I believed we needed a new voice in city government,” he continued. “Despite racist opposition, I defeated an incumbent to become the first Black man ever elected to the Lewiston City Council. In my time in public office, I have faced vicious personal attacks that not only target me but also seek to silence the marginalized voices I have always sought to uplift.”
RELATED: Somali refugee joins Maine city council despite gun charges and residency red flags
Image source: Lewiston City Council YouTube screenshot
Osman’s resignation letter did not address any of the allegations against him.
“He was absolutely confident that he would have prevailed in the residency investigation introduced by the city council on Monday,” Kiernan Majerus-Collins, Osman’s attorney, told WMTW. “But the level of attacks, the vitriol, the racism, and the threats have gotten to the point where he felt like it was in the best interest of his family, his community, and the city to step aside.”
“The fact that the Trump administration is targeting Somali and Somali-Americans across the country absolutely played a role in ginning up the kind of hatred and threats of violence that ultimately forced him to conclude that he could no longer serve in public office at this time,” he added.
Council President David Chittim. Image source: Lewiston City Council YouTube screenshot
Steve Robinson, the editor in chief of the Maine Wire, addressed city council members during the public comments section of Thursday’s meeting. He alleged that the Wire reporter, Jon Fetherston, had received threats and experienced intimidation due to his coverage of city council matters. Fetherston has been attending city council meetings and reporting on the claims against Osman.
“Earlier today, [Fetherston] had vehicles driving around threatening him, intimidating him, making gun hand gestures at him. So I would just like to know what is the city council going to do about issues like that, where someone who is conducting routine, basic journalism is facing threats of intimidation and gun violence,” Robinson stated.
Fetherson previously told Blaze News that it is “obvious” that Osman is lying about his residency.
“On the very first night of him being sworn in as a city councilor, Mr. Osman took the oath of office and swore to defend the Constitution, yet he then voted on the matter of whether the council should investigate his own residency instead of recusing himself, casting a ‘no’ vote,” Fetherston told Blaze News. “In my almost 40 years of elected office and/or reporting, I have never seen a bigger blow to democracy and disrespect of the election process than what has occurred with Iman Osman and how ‘leadership’ in Lewiston has handled this situation.”
When reached for comment, City Council President and Ward 6 Councilor David Chittim told Blaze News that members unanimously voted on Thursday to discontinue the investigation into Osman’s residency.
“His resignation effectively removed him from the council’s purview,” Chittim explained, adding that per the Lewiston City Charter, the city council is required to fill the vacancy by appointment.
When asked about the alleged harassment against a Maine Wire reporter, Chittim replied, “Last night the council heard allegations that a reporter for the Maine Wire has been harassed. I do not know how or whether the council will respond to these allegations.”
The city’s communications director and the mayor did not respond to a request for comment.
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Democrat Graham Platner Marched with Somali Activist Tied to Nonprofit Accused of Fraud To Show ‘Solidarity’ With Minnesota’s Scandal-Plagued Somali Community
Controversial Senate candidate Graham Platner (D., Maine), hoisting a “Solidarity” sign and protest fist, marched with Maine Somalis last month to show support for Minnesota’s Somali community, which has been implicated in a staggering fraud scandal. Ironically, one of Platner’s comrades at the event, Safiya Khalid, served as a top official at a Maine nonprofit under investigation for defrauding the state out of millions of dollars in health care payments.
The post Democrat Graham Platner Marched with Somali Activist Tied to Nonprofit Accused of Fraud To Show ‘Solidarity’ With Minnesota’s Scandal-Plagued Somali Community appeared first on .
‘A Foundation of My Politics’: Graham Platner Calls To Return Maine Land to ‘Indigenous Population’
Senate candidate Graham Platner (D., Maine) called to return land to natives in the state he’s running to represent, arguing that longstanding injustices committed by state and federal governments remain unresolved.
The post ‘A Foundation of My Politics’: Graham Platner Calls To Return Maine Land to ‘Indigenous Population’ appeared first on .
Muslim Somali Immigrants Pose Risk To Christian Brethren, Pastor Says
‘Fear, cultural pressure, or past experiences’
Somalis Who Complained About Trump ‘Garbage’ Comments Involved With Company Accused Of Medicaid Fraud
‘I just couldn’t fathom it’
Maine’s Platner: ‘If I Had My Way’ Google and Palantir ‘Wouldn’t Exist’
WINDHAM, Maine—Senate candidate Graham Platner (D., Maine) said Google and Palantir “wouldn’t exist” if he had his way.
The post Maine’s Platner: ‘If I Had My Way’ Google and Palantir ‘Wouldn’t Exist’ appeared first on .
Maine’s Platner Calls To Abolish ICE, Drag Agents Before Congress: ‘People Need to Go to Prison’
WINDHAM, Maine—Senate candidate Graham Platner (D., Maine) called to abolish ICE and force agents to testify before Congress—his most aggressive comments on the agency to date.
The post Maine’s Platner Calls To Abolish ICE, Drag Agents Before Congress: ‘People Need to Go to Prison’ appeared first on .
‘Don’t Let Them Have a Public Dinner Without Getting Yelled At’: Maine’s Platner Calls for Harassment of Lawmakers Who Oppose Medicare for All
WINDHAM, Maine—Senate candidate Graham Platner (D., Maine) urged his supporters to publicly harass members of Maine’s congressional delegation who oppose Medicare for All.
The post ‘Don’t Let Them Have a Public Dinner Without Getting Yelled At’: Maine’s Platner Calls for Harassment of Lawmakers Who Oppose Medicare for All appeared first on .
Fathers step up to defend girls’ sports after liberal state defies President Trump — and biology
Concerned fathers of female athletes are taking matters into their own hands.
After two bills failed to pass through the Maine state legislature, parents are taking to the streets to collect signatures in hopes of getting their own set of rules passed.
‘We will effect change across the entire state all at once.’
The group of fathers, called Maine Girl Dads, is asking the general public of Maine to sign a petition for the initiative titled “An Act to Designate School Sports Participation and Facilities by Sex.”
The act would require schools in the state to designate “athletic teams and private facilities,” including bathrooms and locker rooms, on the basis of biological sex.
“This is important, as we will effect change across the entire state all at once, while providing a private right of action for enforcement, clarifying statutory cross-references, and ensuring severability,” the group wrote on its website.
The dads are hoping to garner the 68,000 signatures required to get the initiative on the ballot in the 2026 midterms next November.
Weathering a cold November day in the Northeast, the group recently held a signature drive that saw overwhelmingly positive results.
RELATED: Maine Democrat says transgender athletes make women better
“We collected over 53K signatures! In just one day, we’re over halfway to our goal of 100K,” the group recently wrote on X. “When this gets on the 2026 ballot, we win and girls’ sports are protected. Let’s keep going, Maine!”
WMTW-TV caught up with Steven Scharf, one of the men taking roadside signatures over the weekend, to see what the reactions were like from the general public.
“Everybody who’s stopped by has been very eager to sign and can’t understand why this is not just automatic and why this needs to go through a process of being voted on, and why the state legislature has not passed this as is,” Scharf told the outlet.
Sending the question of banning boys from girls’ sports directly to the voter circumvents the state. Not only has Maine defied President Trump’s early February executive order on this matter, but the state Senate has shot down two different bills that would have achieved the same end.
RELATED: Liberal state gives ridiculous reason to justify refusal to ban men from women’s sports
Two bills passed the Maine House, which has a virtual split between Democrats (74) and Republicans (73), with three independents. However, neither passed in the state Senate, which is composed of 20 Democrats, 14 Republicans, and one independent.
Proposal LD 1134 was rejected by the Senate on June 13, while LD 233 was rejected just days later on June 16.
If the Maine Girl Dads get their way and their proposal is passed, it would become effective on Jan. 1, 2027.
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Graham Platner Calls To Stack the Supreme Court and Impeach ‘At Least Two’ Sitting Justices
SKOWHEGAN, Maine—Senate candidate Graham Platner called to stack the Supreme Court and impeach “at least two” of its sitting justices, moves he said should be top priorities for Democrats should they retake the upper chamber next year.
The post Graham Platner Calls To Stack the Supreme Court and Impeach ‘At Least Two’ Sitting Justices appeared first on .
