Residents inclusion on Boards of Trustees has graduated from a hope to a reality.
On October 22, 2007 Governor Corzine signed S425/A3989 into law at Seabrook Village, a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) in Tinton Falls, NJ. The ceremony was brief and moving and achieved its purpose: with the stroke of a pen, several to be exact, the Governor created a new law that mandated that at least one resident be included on the governing board of each CCRC.
The text of the law is on the New Jersey legislature site: HTML format -or- PDF format.
In signing the bill, now known as P.L. 2007, c.192, the Governor said, “The idea that one ought to be consulted and have a vote in the world that you’ve made a commitment to, seems like… simple common sense. People ought to have a voice.” The Governor was accompanied by the bill’s main supporters in the legislature, Senators Karcher and Singer and Assembly persons, Panter and Beck. All spoke and Senator Karcher made the moving comment, “How we take care of our young and our seniors tells us what kind of a society we have.” And she added that this bill shows that democratic rights should not disappear when we grow older. Several commended the Governor for signing the bill in the face of strong opposition.
Over 100 residents from about 13 CCRCs around the state attended to celebrate the signing. Gary Baldwin, President of ORANJ, spoke for the residents. He said, “This is a great day for us, for citizens around the state.” He thanked in particular Senators Karcher and Singer in bringing about this legislation and commented that the long battle showed that the system allows for a small group of ordinary people to win in the legislative process. Now that the legislation has been signed, NJ can take its place besides Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, California, Maryland, and the District of Columbia who already have similar bills on the books.
Looking to the future, we can anticipate two events. Peter Desch of the state Department of Community Affairs is expected to issue a letter to CCRC providers across the state with steps for implementing the new law. In addition, ORANJ, the statewide organization of residents of CCRCs in NJ, will carry out a series of regional seminars across the state that will start the educational process for residents. These are expected to include guidelines for the selection and training of residents who will be recommended to Boards of Trustees. The trustees will make the ultimate decision on who will be serving on their CCRC’s Board. One current resident-trustee warned that the obligations of the position are not to be taken lightly. To the contrary, the new resident-trustees can expect to be swamped with reading material that each must master in order to function effectively in that capacity. But all that’s in the future. For the present, let’s celebrate.
The ORANJ Quartet – How Dave Hibberson, Wink Levingood, Charles Germany, Gary Baldwin, and residents of New Jersey CCRCs achieved legislative change without the use of paid lobbyists.