What Is a City Worth? The Case for Funding Maricopa's Arts

What Does Maricopa Value?

The Case for Smarter Community Investment

By Chrystal Allen-O'Jon, Candidate for Maricopa City Council

Recently, Judith Lang Zaimont — a Maricopa resident, Guggenheim Fellow, and internationally-recognized composer whose music is performed all over the world — made five phone calls before reaching someone who could answer a simple question: how much are the new pickleball courts costing us?

The answer: up to $1,252,000. Six pickleball courts and two sand volleyball courts. Roughly $156,500 per court.

That conversation started me thinking — not just about pickleball or arts funding, but about something bigger: How does Maricopa decide what to invest in, and who is holding that process accountable?

The Budget Is a Values Statement

Every budget is a set of choices. Right now, Maricopa spends over $200,000 on a single annual music festival, while homegrown arts organizations — some serving this community for a decade or more on volunteer energy alone — receive a fraction of that in structured support. I'm not opposed to the festival. But I think it's fair to ask: are we seeing a return on that investment? And are we applying the same scrutiny to every line item?

Our bodies need movement — recreation matters. But our spirits need something too. Music. Visual art. Theater. Dance. Storytelling. These aren't luxuries. They're what turn a collection of houses into a community with a soul. And right now, our budget tells a lopsided story.

A History Worth Learning From

Maricopa once had a Nonprofit Funding Program that dedicated city dollars to public service organizations. It was well-intentioned but collapsed under its own subjectivity — decisions driven by personal relationships, no formal application process, no accountability for outcomes. We shouldn't repeat that. But we also shouldn't let a flawed process become an excuse to invest nothing thoughtfully.

What I'm Actually Proposing

I'm not asking the city to write blank checks. I'm asking for something more disciplined — and something the arts community can welcome too.

A community friendly competitive grant process. Clear eligibility criteria. Demonstrated community impact. Accountability for how funds are spent. The city and arts organizations should be partners in this — working together on fundraising strategies and building sustainable revenue streams. Public dollars serve as a catalyst and that partnership benefits everyone.

If we can spend $156,500 on a single pickleball court, then a modest, structured arts investment — with real accountability built in — deserves a seat at the budget table.

Balance, Not a Blank Check

I know the hard questions. How do you fund the arts when we need more firefighters? How do you tell seniors no when revenues are tightening? How do you justify discretionary spending when property tax cuts have already reduced revenue by over $800,000?

These are exactly the conversations a City Councilmember must have — honestly and publicly. I don't pretend they have easy answers. But I also don't accept that the only alternative to imperfect past programs is deliberate neglect of our cultural institutions.

Growth without culture is just sprawl. The cities people stay in, raise families in, and build pride in are the ones that invest in all of who their residents are — not recklessly, not subjectively, but intentionally, with clear priorities and measurable outcomes.

Maricopa deserves that kind of leadership. That's what I'm running to provide.

Chrystal Allen-O'Jon is a candidate for Maricopa City Council, publisher of Maricopa Lifestyle Magazine, co-founder of the Black Maricopa Chamber of Commerce, and co-founder of the Maricopa Veteran Care Center. She is running in the July 21, 2026 Primary Election.