A Nigerian paralympian, Vitalis Lanshima has been sworn in as a member of Metro council. The Louisville Metro Council selected Lanshima as the new District 21 Councilman from a field of 13 applicants during its regular meeting on Thursday, December 14.
Lanshima’s arms were amputated when he was 12 years old after electricity accident. He moved to Louisville to attend Bellarmine University on scholarship as a paralympic track athlete. The man explained that he suffered to get to where he is.
He said: “Coming from a very poor background and having to struggle for my entire life to get to where I am today, I believe I have a lot of experience I can come to bear.” The man who won the seat on Metro council with 14 votes expressed his thanks for the confidence the council showed in him by electing him. He was selected to represent a district that candidates for the seat said needs to embrace its changing demographics.