Salem on Chickens,.. Council lays an Egg

A fantastic evening was had by all last night at the Salem City Council public hearing on the keeping of urban chickens. Although, if you were hoping for some resolution on this sluggish matter you left sorely disappointed. Hours of public testimony led to hours of Council back-and-forth, and in the end, a decision to move the issue on to the Planning Commission.

The citizenry in attendance was overwhelmingly pro-chicken. Of the more than thirty speakers, only three spoke in opposition (one woman twice, totalling four arguments). With all evidence easily pointing in favor of allowing chickens within city limits, it was very disheartening to exit with no conclusion on the matter. It seems that once again, the people are way ahead of their government on an issue.

A mountain of information on the benefits of urban chickens was presented by scientists, farmers, gardeners, and people of all walks of life from our community. Arguments of those opposed to chickens in Salem were smothered in fear and ignorance.

As perturbed as I was at the outcome, I would like to give some words of praise to a few of our city councilors. Councilor Nanke, of Ward 3, appeared to be our most vocal proponent on the issue. He also seemed to actually understand the issue with the clarity of common sense that we should expect of our representatives. Councilors Tesler and Dickey, Ward 2 and Ward 5 respectively, were less vocal but also very supportive.

Councilor Nanke offered a very good amendment concerning the main issues of debate for the evening. He proposed to drop the lot square-footage requirement altogether, as well as reducing the set-back from the property line to ten feet, and twenty feet from a neighboring dwelling. This was the best option proposed last night, and it went nowhere. After some impassioned words on the freedoms of the public (you know, pursuit of happiness, etc) he actually changed the Mayor's mind on the matter, and accordingly, her vote.

I rarely agree with the Mayor on issues around this town, but I thought she was very open-minded and deliberate last night. Thank you, Madam Mayor.

As for the other five councilors... good lord!

Councilor Bennett of Ward 1 was against it from the beginning, and will be at the end. Supposedly the Neighborhood Associations in his ward are opposed, which I find peculiar given that the north end of downtown and the section of northeast that he represents could really use the benefits that come with urban chickens.

Councilor Rogers of Ward 6 asked tons of questions, none of which seemed to really matter in the long run. He appears to be against the proposal and will doubtful move far on the subject. Ward 6, demographically similar to Ward 1, would appear to benefit from a change in the law.

Councilor Cannon is a riot. You have to love a guy with principles. Speak little, say much. His only idea for the evening was the Libertarian Utopia of Land-Use Free-For-All. The government can kiss off. If you can afford it, build a nuclear reactor on your damn property (Those are my words, not his. He did say, however, that people were free to sleep with their chickens for all he cared... so, have a blast Salem, nuclear or otherwise.)

I won't belabor much of a point on Councilor Sullivan. He seemed very afraid of the avian flu and other Biblical plagues. After listening to numerous testimonials concerning the lack of a health hazard that chickens pose, siting research from OSU and elsewhere, it was a little annoying to keep revisiting the risk of poultry Armageddon.

Councilor Clem was tired, I believe, as he voted "no" on a time extension at 10 o'clock, regardless of a resolution.

That's my basic breakdown on the evening. Democracy in action. What we all realize sooner or later is that this is representative government. You can't outnumber your opposition's voice ninety percent to ten and expect progress without the vote of your reps. The anti-urban chicken folks paint us as a vocal minority attempting to push our will on a silent majority. I think that is far from true, and I think that Salem is ready to join the likes of Portland, Eugene, Corvallis, Lake Oswego, and other cities across the country.

Our reps do need to be pressured. We appear to have three councilors and the Mayor on our side. However, the next move will likely be through the Planning Commission... and more hearings.

I'll close by paraphrasing Councilor Dickey when she said that we should trust the citizens of Salem with the same rights and responsibilities that are granted to our fellow Oregonians. I think she's right, and I think we can handle it.