Somali immigrant elected to Lewiston school board

LEWISTON — A man originally from Somalia has become the first African immigrant to win elected office in Lewiston, a city that has long had a significant Somali population.

Write-in candidate Jama Mohamed picked up 10 additional votes at a Thursday recount to win a seat on the school committee.

The 29-year-old Mohamed will be sworn into office in January.

Mohamed tells the Sun Journal that serving on the committee is “a lot of responsibility.”

Mohamed came to the United States in 2004 and to Lewiston in 2008. The father of six works as a case manager and interpreter at Trinity Jubilee Center and is co-founder of a student mentoring organization.

A Somali-American woman previously served on the city’s school committee, but she was appointed, not elected.