Legislative effort protects rights of seniors

June 11 was a very important day for the Organization of Residents Associations of New Jersey (ORANJ), a group representing over 10,000 seniors residing in Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRCs) in New Jersey.

With the successful floor vote in the Assembly on bill A-3989 the sound of applause was heard from the gallery in the Assembly chamber, signaling that a major step was just taken on behalf of seniors living in retirement communities across the state. This action, coupled with the March 2007 approval vote in the Senate of an identical bill, will pave the way for resident representation on the board of governors at those facilities without a resident voice.

For too long, and at too many CCRCs in New Jersey, senior citizens have been denied their right to a voice in their governance at the board level. With Gov. Jon Corzine's signature on these bills will come a new era of open communication and transparency in governance for residents residing in these facilities.

ORANJ and its executive staff owe a great debt of gratitude to Sens. Karcher, Vitale and Singer and to Assembly members Panter, Dancer and Conaway, who partnered with ORANJ in this endeavor.

On behalf of all the senior population represented by ORANJ, I extend our thanks to those and others in the Legislature who have worked hand-in-hand with our organization and with their colleagues on both sides of the aisle. We stand ready to lend our support to you and for initiatives that you may be fostering, which align with the values and objectives of our ORANJ membership.

In closing, I will share with you a moving and profound statement sent to me by a senior member of the Senate Majority Office: "How very gratifying it was to see a group of 'regular' citizens successfully work through the process without a big lobbying firm engine in the background. The personalities and industriousness of your group were not so 'regular,' however, and each of you made the birthing of this bill a thought-provoking experience."

The system really does work.

Gary Baldwin

president

Organization of Residents

Associations of New Jersey

Tinton Falls