Seniors Take A STRONGhold at Renwick Square No-Smoking Policy Meeting

By Linda Valles 
Member of STRONG

STRONG (Senior Tenant Rights Our Number's Growing) turned out in force on April 18 to hear Councilman Gary Davis, Cory Koehler of RHA, Matt Skelton, St. Anton Regional Manager and Veronica King, Renwick Square Manager discuss the new no-smoking policy. This meeting was prompted by several Renwick tenants shedding light on the smoking problem at their complex in front of the City Council on March 28.

As it turned out, Davis cancelled at the last minute and St. Anton refused to allow the press to attend stating that it was a private meeting and not open to the public. Obviously, if Davis had attended, the press would have been allowed access...was this an orchestrated move on the part of Davis and St. Anton? Cory Koehler did not take his assigned seat to face the sixty residents opting to stand in the very back of the room.

Matt Skelton announced that as of April 19, Renwick would be 100% smoke free. This information had been prematurely released by the Renwick staff a week earlier. WHY? A ploy to placate the residents in believing they had a victory thus discouraging them from attending the meeting and hearing the particulars of the policy? The seniors did not fall for the "suspect" early leak.

After Skelton announced the property would be smoke free, the meeting turned to residents firing questions at the Regional Manager. Much like pulling teeth, the residents were eventually told the results of a St. Anton questionnaire: that 70% of the complex wanted no smoking. Skelton sheepishly informed the crowd that current smokers would be grandfathered in and allowed to smoke only in their apartments. Amid audible groans from the residents, Skelton added that if smoke adversely affected other residents, then a violation procedure would take place. Skelton was not clear how many complaints it would take to initiate a "3-day to Perform or Quit" which usually leads to eviction. Concerning eviction, he said, That would be at the discretion of King," the office manager. When pointedly asked if smokers would be evicted if they did not comply, Skelton replied, "We have to be diplomatic and nothing is set in stone."

Skelton deferred to Koehler, who was staying under the radar in the back corner. Koehler added that USA, another property owner of senior apartments in Elk Grove, also handled their no-smoking transitions the same way. Knowing for a fact that this is not the case, Koehler was challenged and he backpedaled by saying that he never met with both USA and St. Anton together. USA makes their transitions viable by implementing a simple policy. When a smoker's lease expires, he or she is required to sign a new lease that declares no smoking at all in, on. or around the property. If this is not agreeable, they have the choice to move. If there is a violator, they are given a warning, a notice and then an eviction is completed. When Skelton was directly asked why St. Anton wasn't applying this policy, he said, "We are not going down that road."

Comments from the residents clearly showed their complete dissatisfaction with the lackluster and inept plan. At the present, they are mobilizing to take the matter back to the Elk Grove City Council and registering complaints with several government agencies. Currently, several complaints have been filed with the Renwick office with no feedback or resolution from King.

Out of 60 plus people, there were three present that voiced their rights as smokers. Unarmed with the facts, one in particular compared not being allowed to smoke with the practices of Nazi Germany. I said at the meeting and I say it again now. Yes, this is like Nazi Germany. Much like the prisoners of that war, seniors are being encased in structures with a deadly toxin being pumped in to kill them.

It is time to be smart and humane. Come on, St. Anton, get with the program and give us a "real plan with clear-cut repercussions for violators. STRONG is not going away and we will continue to lobby for our right to breath clean fresh air in our homes.