Early voting has begun. Please get out and vote “YES” to allow backyard chickens. Get your neighbors and friends to vote as well! This may be our one opportunity to show the village the support for change is here. We need each and every one of you to spread the word and get out and vote. There will certainly be people who will vote “no”. We need to have enough support on our side to make a difference.  Election day is April 1st. 

After sending out 4 questions to all of our Winfield Trustees, here is the response from Dan Janowick.  

Hi Sheena,
Thank you for your patience in my response. I also appreciate your continued interest in what's happening in Winfield; involved residents are a huge benefit to everyone staying connected to what's happening in town. My comments below are similar in philosophy to my comments at board meeting discussions regarding chickens. This topic has been an interesting one for me to learn about as it is more complex than just my personal opinion and like many issues, I take seriously the responsibility to hear ALL residents and not just the small groups who feel passionately on each side. Chickens in town have definitely brought out varied opinions on both sides of the issue. Let me know if you have any questions or need any clarification. 

1. After hearing from resident both for and against allowing back yard chickens in Winfield, are you in support of residents owning backyard chickens? Please explain why or why not.

I support the adoption of an ordinance allowing backyard chickens. The combination of resident input, researching the topic independently and the staff reports have led me to be comfortable allowing chickens. Particularly, the consistent input from other municipalities surveyed that have adopted ordinances with very small incidences of conflict or complaint. 

2. Do you feel that the interests of all Winfield residents are currently being represented on the Village Board of Trustees? If not, how will you work to represent marginalized residents?

I'm answering in a broad sense and not related to chickens. I think representation of residents with elected leaders reflecting our community is extremely important. I believe the current board is strong at representing the interests of all residents but still could benefit from further diversification of thought-and will never achieve "perfection." One of the reasons I ran in 2021 was the fact the families like me, with kids at local schools, were underrepresented in decisions being made at the village level and now we have multiple board members in that demographic. The group lacks representation from northern sections of town (with one candidate fitting that demo this year) although I know I, and believe other board members, take seriously the responsibility of representation of all residents. There is probably a great research paper that could evaluate our current effectiveness in representing all groups but I firmly believe this group cares and has a passion for service to all residents, not just certain interest groups. 

3. How do you plan to balance your personal feelings about any given issue, the impact of the issue on the Village, and public opinion on an issue?

My approach attempts to balance my personal opinion and research with public input, and expert evaluation provided to us from staff and consultants. I believe elected officials have a responsibility to consider the short and long term impacts of our decisions and not make decisions that put future residents and officials in bad positions. As the Executive Director of a nonprofit organization, I am seasoned at considering multiple inputs and weighing benefits and risks in all decision making in fiscally responsible ways. 

4. How do you plan to or how have you informed yourself or researched the topic of backyard chickens to make an informed decision? If you have any concerns or reservations what are they? 

Same as above, I considered my own research, some of which was provided by residents on both sides of the topic and overall village resident input on my own social media. I also leaned heavily on staff research that was shared and again was very pleased by the research showing few/no impacts/complaints in other communities.  My only concerns are related to lots sizes and impacts on neighbors for lots sizes like mine that would be very close to neighbors related to cleanliness and noise and also understanding how any increasing risk of bird flu spread should be considered. Overall, I am supportive and think the village should be measured in any ordinances that limit what residents can do on their own property. 

Thank you again and take care! 
Dan

Dan Janowick, Trustee
Village of Winfield