Robert Brum

rbrum@lohud.com

The East Ramapo school district's board president and a newly appointed trustee have emphatically denied an allegation that the trustee does not live in the district.

Joseph Chajmovicz was appointed to a vacant seat in July amid criticism that the board should have named someone with ties to local education.

Questions about Chajmovicz's residency were raised by a member of a parent group that protested his appointment outside his address at 6 Fawn Hill Drive in Airmont. The house at that address is owned by Moshe Solinsky, according to records.

A search of a voter database by The Journal News lists Chajmovicz as living at that address.

Chajmovicz rebutted doubts about his residency in an Aug. 25 statement.

“Recently, some false accusations regarding where I live are stirring up needless controversy in the community," he said in a statement released by the district. "I’d like to dispel this notion right now: I live in Airmont and have been a resident there since 2009."

Chajmovicz, 41, has two daughters, both of whom attend private schools, and works in the real estate business. He has also been involved in the development of affordable housing, according to the district.

School board President Yehuda Weissmandl this week called allegations of Chajmovicz's non-residency "completely false."

"The new board member and his family have lived in the same home in the district for seven years," Weissmandl said in a statement on the district's website.

Twitter: @Bee_bob