This column touched on two things; the (irredeemable) puns that come with a story about chicken legislation, and disappointment in the village of Cazenovia board for dismissing a valuable idea because of a potentially unsubstantiated fear of (fowl) odor.

Something seems a little fowl
By Doug Campbell

As a journalist, the first thing one thinks when reading “William Wester proposes change to code allowing chickens in the village” in the board meeting agenda is, “there are so many puns. So many!”

It’s a gold mine. I decided upon “Fowl language,” and “Squawks blocked,” but I also loved the Cazenovia Pilot website’s “Chicks nixed.”

But when the board passed a resolution rejecting Wester’s proposal, I couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed.

Several arguments were made that “it’s a slippery slope” and that odor problems could get out of hand.

The mayor asked, “what if everyone in the village decided they wanted chickens?”

But Trustees Wheeler and Porter, who supported the idea, made fair points: they supported the idea with plenty of regulation.

Let’s face it; if the village code was changed to allow chicken coops a certain distance from neighboring property, barring noisy roosters and limiting the number of poultry, very few people would take advantage of the opportunity.

And Deputy Mayor Wheeler made a valid point: as a nation, we are trying to be more sustainable and self-reliant, and an important part of maintaining those virtues is passing them on to children.

What better way to teach about where food comes from than teaching your children to raise their own egg-producing chickens?

I wish the idea had been offered a little more consideration before it was completely taken off the table.