I Attended. I Learned. Here’s My Plan.

CAMPAIGN POSITION · PUBLIC SAFETY • CHRYSTAL O’JON ·

CANDIDATE FOR MARICOPA CITY COUNCIL

I Attended. I Learned. Here’s My Plan.

What the Public Safety Candidate Forum Confirmed — and What I Will Do About It

Chrystal O’Jon · Candidate for Maricopa City Council · May 2026

On Wednesday, May 6th, I sat in the room at Leading Edge Academy for Maricopa’s first-ever Public Safety City Council Candidate Forum — hosted by FOP Lodge 78 and IAFF Local 4561, open to the public. It was a historic first for our city.

I left more certain than ever of two things: our first responders are carrying an enormous burden in this fast-growing city, and the gap between what they need and what they are currently getting is unacceptable.

I also left with a responsibility. Showing up to a forum is easy. What matters is what you do next. So today, I’m laying out my public safety plan — not in talking points, but as a real, actionable roadmap that I will pursue from day one at the dais.

“Public safety is the most fundamental obligation government has to its citizens. I will not balance a budget on the backs of the people protecting this community.”

Here is where I stand — plainly, and without political hedging

What the Forum Confirmed

The questions asked at the forum were not abstract policy debates. They were urgent, practical, and pointed. Our officers and firefighters are at times, working shorthanded. Shifts go unfilled. Gear ages out. Mental health support is underfunded. And too many council decisions have treated these realities as budget line items to be trimmed rather than obligations to be met.

Maricopa has grown to over 80,000 residents — and our public safety infrastructure has not kept pace. Every new subdivision approved without a plan to staff and equip the first responders who serve it is a promise broken before the concrete dries.

The forum was a historic moment because it forced candidates to answer directly to the people who run into burning buildings and respond to 911 calls at 3 a.m. I am grateful FOP Lodge 78 and IAFF Local 4561 made it happen. And I intend to honor what I heard by acting on it.

Staffing & Retention

Advocate for a staffing ratio ordinance tied to population growth — not budget convenience.
Commission a comprehensive compensation study benchmarked against Phoenix metro agencies and commit to closing any pay gap within a defined timeline.
Immediately fund long-term vacant fire shift positions — treating every vacancy as an unfunded liability, not a savings.

Bridge-Builder Action: Staffing

Create a Staffing Accountability Dashboard — publicly updated monthly, showing current sworn officer levels, fire shift vacancies, and response time trends by district. Residents and union leaders see the same data at the same time.
Convene a Joint Recruitment Task Force with MPD, Maricopa Fire, MUSD, and local businesses to co-fund hiring incentives, housing assistance, and relocation support for recruits choosing Maricopa over other agencies.
Tie development impact fees to public safety staffing — every major new subdivision approval triggers a funding requirement for the officers and firefighters who will serve it, before the first home is sold.

Officer & Firefighter Wellness

Fund confidential peer support programs, PTSD-specialized counselors, and Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) teams as core budget line items — not add-ons.
Fully cover mental health treatment costs for job-related trauma — because it is smart risk management, not charity.
Prevent burnout by staffing to adequate levels, honoring scheduled days off, and limiting forced overtime.

Bridge-Builder Action: Wellness

Partner the Maricopa Veteran Care Center — which I co-founded — with the city’s first responder wellness program. We already fund free emergency therapy for veterans in crisis. That model translates directly to officers and firefighters who carry invisible wounds from the job.
Launch a “First Responder Family Support Network” — bringing together faith communities, local nonprofits, and the city to provide resources not just to the officer or firefighter, but to the families who serve alongside them every day.
Mandate that wellness program participation data — aggregate, never individual — is reported to council annually, so we can measure whether support is actually reaching people or just sitting on paper.

Equipment & Training

No firefighter enters a burning structure in gear that doesn’t meet current NFPA standards. Establish a PPE replacement cycle funded in advance.
Develop a formal apparatus replacement schedule for fire vehicles with transparent funding reserves — not emergency budget scrambles.
Mandate de-escalation training as part of continuing education, designed with FOP Lodge 78 to ensure officer buy-in.

Bridge-Builder Action: Equipment & Training

Publish a public Equipment Status Report annually — plain language, not bureaucratic. Residents deserve to know the age and condition of the vehicles and gear protecting their families.
Establish a dedicated Capital Reserve Fund for public safety equipment — funded through a percentage of development impact fees — so replacement cycles are planned, not scrambled.
Partner with regional fire and law enforcement agencies on shared training facilities and bulk procurement to stretch every public safety dollar further without sacrificing quality.

Labor Relations & Accountability

Approach contract negotiations with FOP Lodge 78 and IAFF Local 4561 in good faith — with accurate data, fair compensation, and genuine respect for workers.
Protect earned pension benefits for current employees. No restructuring that diminishes what officers and firefighters were promised.
Support transparent, data-driven accountability built collaboratively with union leadership — not imposed on them.

Bridge-Builder Action: Labor Relations

Establish a standing Public Safety Labor Relations Committee — a council-level body that meets quarterly with FOP Lodge 78 and IAFF Local 4561 outside of contract season, so conversations happen year-round, not just at the bargaining table.
Commit to “open book” budget briefings with union leadership before any budget is finalized — no surprises, no cuts made in the dark. They see the numbers when I do.
Champion a “Keep Your Promise” pension protection resolution in my first term — a public, on-the-record commitment from council that earned benefits will not be restructured away from current employees.

Community-Wide Public Safety: The Bridge-Builder Approach

Public safety is not just a budget question. It is a community relationship. And as a bridge-builder, I believe the strongest public safety infrastructure is one built with our first responders, not just for them.

That means:

Annual Neighborhood Safety Summits — bringing together HOAs, faith communities, schools, youth leaders, and city staff to map concerns and co-create solutions before problems escalate to 911 calls.
A Citizens’ Public Safety Advisory Circle — a standing body of residents, union reps, nonprofit leaders, and business owners that advises council on safety priorities and reviews department data quarterly.
A “Safe Streets” infrastructure review — a systematic audit of lighting, road conditions, crosswalk safety, and traffic patterns in high-growth corridors, conducted with input from both first responders and residents.

This city’s growth is a gift — but only if we build the public safety infrastructure to match it. Every new subdivision approved must come with a plan to serve it. Every vacancy on a fire shift must be treated as an unfunded liability, not a budget savings.

I attended that forum not as a politician looking for a moment — but as a community member who has spent thirty years believing that helping people is the rent you pay for living on this earth.

“Every first responder who puts on a uniform in Maricopa deserves to know their city has their back. I do. And I will prove it in every budget vote, every contract negotiation, and every conversation at the gate.”

The Primary is July 21st. Three seats. Let’s get it right.

★ CHRYSTAL O’JON FOR MARICOPA CITY COUNCIL ★

ChrystalOJon.com • Primary: July 21, 2026