The Lewiston School Committee refused Monday evening to begin an investigation into the claims that Ward 5 member Iman Osman no longer lives in the ward he represents.

The vote was 5-4 following an executive session.

Ward 2 representative Janet Beaudoin made the motion for the committee to investigate the residence of Osman, who was nominated to the committee by Mayor Carl Sheline and confirmed by the City Council in 2024.

The building at his listed address of 210 Blake St. is condemned. City officials, however, say Osman meets residency requirements under state law.

Beaudoin was upset that the committee refused to even consider an investigation following dozens of claims that Oman has not lived in the ward for some time.

“(Monday)’s decision not to allow an investigation into a residency concern is a blow to transparency and public trust,” Beaudoin said in a statement. “We owe it to our constituents to take every credible concern seriously. I’m extremely frustrated that a majority of this committee chose not to even look at the facts. Integrity matters. The public deserves clarity, not avoidance.

Instead of abstaining during Monday’s vote, which is normal procedure when a motion concerns oneself, Osman voted against investigating himself.

Elizabeth Eames, who revealed Monday that she was Osman’s campaign manager in the most recent election, also voted no. Those votes enraged members of the public on social media, who felt both members should have abstained.

The other no votes were Chairman Megan Parks, City Council representative Scott Harriman and Phoenix McLaughlin of Ward 1.

Supporting an investigation were Beaudoin, Craig Carpentier in Ward 4, Meghan Hird in Ward 6 and Donna Gallant in Ward 7

Osman won an election earlier this month to become city councilor in Ward 5. He will have to surrender his School Committee seat once he takes the oath of office Jan. 5.

Sheline has said the city is “not aware of any violation of statutory requirements” and the council has no mechanism to take action before a councilor-elect is sworn in.

Osman and his attorney, Kiernan Majerus-Collins, have previously said 210 Blake St. is Osman’s permanent legal address based on his voter registration. The building has been condemned since October of last year, with no clear timeline established for Osman’s return, which has led to continued questions from the public regarding whether Ward 5 has true representation.

However, the state’s definition of “residence” for voter registration purposes is, “The residence of a person is that place where the person has established a fixed and principal home to which the person, whenever temporarily absent, intends to return.”

The condemned residence at Blake Street is being repaired, according to Jon Connor, director of planning and code enforcement for the city. He said last week that a city building inspector recently conducted a walkthrough of 210 Blake St. with the contractor, and “progress is being made on both floors with respect to the issued permit — although it’s progressing slowly.”

After the election, City Clerk Kathy Montejo attempted to follow up with Osman seeking clarification on his current address due to ward residency requirements established in the City Charter regarding his seat on the School Committee. 

His attorney, Majerus-Collins, responded by declining to say where Osman is staying because he said Osman “has been the victim of a targeted harassment campaign.”

The issue has divided the School Committee.

Following Monday’s vote, Hird also released a statement about her frustration with the committee refusing to launch an investigation.

“This truth reflects exactly what we witnessed during tonight’s meeting about a member’s residency: the majority of our committee showed, once again, that they are more concerned with protecting their own interests than ensuring fair and honest representation of our community. Standing up for what is right shouldn’t depend on conformity — it should depend on principle,” Hird said.