Pigeon proposal heads for more review as Simon recuses himself

Croton did not adopt its proposed pigeon ban at the September 2 Village Board meeting. Mayor Brian Pugh said the animal-law proposal would return to a work session for further review, informed by comments from referral bodies, residents at the hearing and people writing to the village. “we will not be voting on this law tonight,”Read 12:44▶ Pugh said. The board later closed the public hearing. It did not set a date for the next work session; October was discussed as a possibility. The evening also brought a recusal. Deputy Mayor Len Simon announced that he would withdraw from any further involvement with Local Law Introductory No. 10 of 2026, the proposal addressing domestic and farm animals. Simon described himself as living next door to a family that lives next door to the racing-pigeon flock. He said he still felt objective, but wanted to remove potential distractions as the board went forward. He said he would leave his seat at the board table until the hearing concluded. The testimony showed that neighbors’ experiences differ. One speaker urged an immediate ban without grandfathering the existing flock and described pigeons on roofs, gutters and outdoor spaces, along with droppings and early-morning noise. Those were the speaker’s reports to the board. Nicole Shapiro, who said she and her husband live diagonally across from the pigeon keeper, offered a contrasting account. She said they had inspected the coop with permission and found it clean and well maintained, with quietly cooing birds and no offensive smell. Shapiro urged the village to address specific problems through enforceable rules — including limits on bird numbers, setbacks, secure feed storage and clean housing — instead of a blanket prohibition. If the board decided to prohibit new pigeon keeping, she said, the existing coop and flock should be grandfathered. “We respectfully ask the board not to enact a blanket prohibition on keeping pigeons,”Read 27:10▶ Shapiro said.

The pigeon keeper, who introduced himself as Tony, said he cleaned the birds’ water daily and did not leave feed sitting in the feeder. He acknowledged that his birds had flown around other people’s houses, explaining that young birds do so as they become familiar with the area. The proposal’s scope goes beyond pigeons. Trustee Nora Nicholson said she wanted further discussion of how it could affect chicken coops. She also said residents had written with questions about language concerning domestic caged animals inside their homes. For now, the September 2 outcome is further review. The board neither adopted the proposed ban nor granted a grandfathering provision at that meeting. The competing requests over the existing flock remain part of the unfinished discussion.