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Faithalee Goclowski just wanted to keep some chickens in the city of Waterbury, Connecticut. Backyard chickens are quite common in Connecticut, and while there is no exact count for how many there are in Waterbury, since zoning only focuses on complaints rather than comprehensive surveys, the number is not small. Even one of the Selectmen keeps them, along with some goats.

Just to be sure chickens would be inoffensive, Faithalee contacted all the neighbors who surrounded her backyard, and not one of them thought this would be a problem. Even the one who later started complaining.

Waterbury permits up to 25 chickens as long as there are no roosters - since roosters tend to generate noise complaints. However, the number is somewhat ambiguous in law, specifying 1 acre per 25 chickens but with no clear guidance for smaller flocks on smaller residential parcels. Goclowski installed six hens on 0.08 acres, which provided plenty of space for her girls to move around.

Goclowski keeps her chickens for medical reasons. The vast majority of commercial, and even local, chickens are fed oyster shells to provide calcium. Goclowski has a serious and well documented seafood allergy, and raising her own chickens was the only way she could ensure that this healthy source of protein was safe for her to eat.

The trouble began in 2022 when she put out lawn signs in support of Republican candidates. As the secretary of the local Republican Town Committee, this was a perfectly natural thing to do. However, this exercise of free speech coincided with the beginnings of a campaign of harassment by local zoning officials. It began with anonymous complaints about the camper that they occasionally parked in their driveway, and in spring of 2024, Waterbury zoning received the first chicken complaint letter.

Goclowski provided coop size and reported accurately that the hens were well kept and the yard cleaned daily, and thought everything would be fine after that. However, in October, Zoning received a second letter of complaint. Since Goclowski‘s mother was in hospice with declining health, the zoning official allowed some time to deal with the matter. However, in March after her mother‘s passing, she received a letter from the Health Department. Apparently, the complainant had left a ladder leaning against the 6 foot fence that surrounded her yard. This was when Faithalee realized that it was her neighbor that was issuing the anonymous complaints. The neighbor who had said nothing to Faithalee in the course of many normal-seeming conversations up to that point.

A subsequent Health Department inspection found zero violations, yet complaints from the neighbor escalated. According to the zoning officer, the complainant made dozens of calls to city departments, including the mayor’s office, and Goclowski was told that the only way to deal with this was to hire a lawyer to help create a text amendment filing in order to clarify the zoning law.

Despite following this advice, paying the $660 filing fee, and having many supporters, including 29 of her immediate neighbors and 60 other chicken owners in the city of Waterbury, her first hearing was denied the second hearing was put off and then she was informed that the decision had been made long before the actual hearing. This was after zoning officials sat down with her lawyer for an hour and a half to draft the proposed text amendment.

“This is not about health or zoning – it’s political harassment,” said Goclowski. “If chickens are truly a public health concern, then why does the city rely on complainant based enforcement instead of inspecting and enforcing equally across all of Waterbury? If it’s a hazard then do a full sweep. Don’t target one homeowner.”

Goclowski believes that her political affiliation has made her a target, despite following every rule, obtaining neighbor approval, and maintaining a spotless property.

“It’s a clear case of selective enforcement, bias, and misuse of power. I’m not asking for special treatment. I’m asking for fair treatment“

One might ask if Faithlee‘s complaining neighbor actually had reason to be upset. Was she perhaps ill treated in some way? Given that the Goclowskis cleared her driveway of snow, walked her dog, collected packages, loaned her tools, helped move a refrigerator, and other neighborly behaviors, this would be a difficult argument to make.

Faithalee moved her chickens to a friend’s home in Oxford in the summer. Now she must drive over 22 miles a day every day to care for them. This incurs both boarding and fuel costs, not to mention the loss of three hours of her day, increased stress, and an increase in need for chemical tick control since chickens usually eat these dangerous pests.

This impact does not include the forced sale of a brand new camper, which had been a source of income, since it was rented out when not being used by them personally. It also doesn’t include the brand new ‘No Kings’ sign posted on the edge of her neighbor’s yard, and pointed directly at the window where Faithalee homeschools her granddaughter.

Government is supposed to be a neutral actor and judge of behavior, following existing law, and even custom. It is not supposed to favor the person who screams the loudest. Goclowski has appealed the zoning amendment decision. Failing this, a lawsuit seems entirely appropriate.

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