Do I tell the Mayor I have chickens?

[Aub]

I have a meeting with our Mayor tomorrow afternoon. I wanted to help educate him on keeping backyard chickens. I emailed him the other day after a new article came out about our town voting down a really good chicken ordinance but saying a couple in a residential area could have 16 horses. (I may or may not have referred to them as the Council of Hypocrites)
I have had chickens in the middle of town for over a year. The ordinance I read said hens could not be running at large, same as any other animal. The reason the ordinance was voted down was because one of the council members "cleaned a chicken house and they don't belong in town".
I guess I want to know what you think. Should I tell the Mayor I have 4 hens and invite him to see them and how wonderful they are? Or is that just setting myself up for problems?

 

[PaulaSB12]

I would show him groups that have successfully changed the rules in their home areas. Point them to clips on youtube showing how clean and quiet they are but I would not show them my own chickens you will be getting yourself in a lot of trouble and won't help the cause at all.

 

[OldGuy43]

Agreed. "Don't ask. Don't tell." is a good policy in your situation.

 

[Chemguy]

He will be obligated to enforce the ordinance.

 

[Aub]

Well I had my meeting. I did not tell him about my chickies. We talked about the ordinance and he told me that he was very surprised that it didn't pass. He told me to try again and get a petition together and more people at the meetings would be good too. I asked if a "fieldtrip" for the council would help. He asked if I knew anyone local with backyard chickens. So of course I said yes I do, there are a few people in town that have them. He stopped me right there and said he would not want to know who.
So now I need to find someone close by that has a few chickens. But all in all it was a good day!

 

[urban escapee]

I guess I have to ask...How are horses cleaner than chickens?

 

[Aub]

I guess I have to ask...How are horses cleaner than chickens?

All I could figure was that the council members never cleaned out a horse stall.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

So what you need to find is someone just outside city limits that has very clean chicken coops

, and is near someone else with very NOT clean horse stalls