Maricopa Is Growing. The Question Is — Growing for Whom?

Maricopa Is Growing. The Question Is — Growing for Whom?
By Chrystal Allen-O’Jon, MBA

Drive south on the 347 any evening and you’ll see it. There are rooftops where there was desert, new schools and new storefronts. There are new neighbors, too. Many of them are families who once called Laveen, Chandler, Ahwatukee or South Phoenix home. Some are your cousins. Some sat beside you in the pew before they moved. Some are the grandchildren you now drive down to see on Sundays.

Maricopa has grown faster than almost anyone predicted. Growth is a blessing. But growth without a plan brings more traffic, higher bills and fewer voices at the table when decisions get made. So the question for every Maricopa voter this fall is simple: Maricopa is growing, but growing for whom?

It has been my privilege to call Maricopa home for 15 years. It has been my calling to serve communities for more than 30. That service began in the Black press. I was Marketing Director at LA Focus Newspaper (Jherl Busby of Dreamworks Records & Lisa Collins Ed. of Billboard) and wrote for Eye on Gospel Music Magazine. There I learned what papers like the Informant have always known: when no one else is telling our story, we tell it ourselves.

In Maricopa, that calling became action. Neighbors and I co-founded the Black Maricopa Chamber of Commerce and the Maricopa Veteran Care Center. Today I publish Maricopa Lifestyle Magazine. I volunteer with Kids Day Maricopa, support the Seeds of Change Gala, and serve on the board of the Maricopa Debutante Organization. I hold an MBA. But the real education came from years of listening to this community.

Now, as a candidate for Maricopa City Council in the November 3 general election, the work continues around three commitments: Transparency – Boosting local businesses-Young families and senior housing

Transparency. Residents deserve to see how their money is spent before they are told what the city can’t afford. For years, the city has announced property tax rate cuts, yet many residents’ bills keep rising. Meanwhile, state revenue to Maricopa is shrinking. Fiscal honesty means freezing the rate, auditing spending and cutting waste. When a city-backed event loses $251,000, residents are owed a full accounting. Fiscal honesty also means growth should pay for itself. New development should cover the cost of the roads and services it requires, not families who have already paid their share. Accountability applies to leadership too, which is why this campaign includes a voluntary two-term limit.

Boosting local businesses. Building the Black Maricopa Chamber showed how much talent lives in this city. There are caterers, barbers, consultants, contractors and creatives. Many of them are Black-owned, women-owned and veteran-owned. They don’t need handouts. They need a fair shot: access to city contracts, a downtown that draws foot traffic, and a council that treats small business as the backbone of the local economy. Dollars spent in Maricopa should stay in Maricopa.

Young families and senior housing. A healthy city has room for every stage of life. Teachers, nurses and first responders should be able to live in the city they serve. Grown children should be able to buy near their parents. Grandparents should be able to age in place. That takes attainable housing, built on purpose, not left to chance. As a caregiver myself, I know how much a home that fits your life really matters. The same goes for community investments. Our tax dollars should build places that serve the most people. That means spaces where students can study, parents can meet, and seniors can gather.

Our community knows what happens when decisions about growth are made without us in the room. Maricopa is still writing its story. This is our chance to help write it together, fairly and without division. It’s why this campaign has been endorsed by the Arizona List and Win With Black Women Arizona. It’s also why the campaign remains respectful of every candidate in this race. Going along to get along has never been my way. Neither has tearing others down. Maricopa deserves a council that disagrees with respect and delivers results.

Here’s what I’m asking of you.

If you live in the City of Maricopa, look for your early ballot in October, and vote by November 3. If you live elsewhere in the Valley, pick up the phone. Call your son in Rancho El Dorado and your sister in Province. Call your church members who moved to Alterra, Senita or Tortosa. Remind them that city council races are often decided by a few hundred votes, and sometimes by a handful.

A mentor once taught me that the rent you pay on earth is service to community. That rent is still due, and I’m ready to keep paying it.

Teamwork. Transparency. Results.

Chrystal Allen-O’Jon, MBA, is a 15-year Maricopa resident, co-founder of the Black Maricopa Chamber of Commerce and the Maricopa Veteran Care Center, and owner and publisher of Maricopa Lifestyle Magazine. She is a candidate for Maricopa City Council. Learn more at votechrystal.com.