Maricopa’s seven city council candidates sat through their first non-partisan forum Wednesday but sharp disagreements emerged over whether the city’s spending priorities match that goal. 

Around 60 people attended the city’s first public safety forum hosted by its fire and police unions at Leading Edge Academy. The nearly two-hour forum focused on topics like staffing levels, recruitment and how the city should prioritize public safety spending in a growing city budget.  

While candidates agreed that public safety should remain a priority, most of the challengers and one incumbent questioned whether spending priorities are keeping pace with Maricopa’s growth.  

“Public safety is not a line or budget item; it is the foundation for everything that’s well done. You cannot have economic growth and a thriving arts community and have people feel safe without having properly resourced and respected police and fire departments,” said challenger Chrystal O’Jon.   

At least two candidates questioned whether the city’s recreation and tourism goals, and whether amenities should amount to large budget items.  

“If we can fund a $100 million park, if we can fund a concert [we can fund public safety],” said Councilmember AnnaMarie Knorr.  

Candidate James Singleton agreed. 

“Maybe we don’t need a portable stage for events and maybe we don’t need a complete $98.5 million Iconic Park to be a destination if our police and fire cannot be police and fire and make us a destination city, right? Let’s make sure they have the resources first to make us a destination city, and then let’s go after those attractions [later],” he said. 

However, Vice Mayor Vincent Manfredi disagreed, saying he believed Maricopa “adequately funds our public safety,” and that quality of life adds to public safety.  

Knorr also questioned if a deputy city manager or the director of cultural services should sit “higher on the org chart than our chief of police and our chief of fire.” 

“I don’t think that’s prioritizing public safety,” she said. 

Candidates also repeatedly returned to concerns about response times, staffing shortages and whether emergency infrastructure is keeping pace with Maricopa’s population boom. 

“We’ve had 31% population growth since 2020 and our staffing hasn’t grown,” candidate Tena Dugan said while discussing fire staffing and emergency response concerns. 

Dugan and others also raised concerns about recruitment and retention, particularly as neighboring cities continue increasing pay and benefits for first responders. 

“We don’t want to be the steppingstone,” Dugan said. 

Several candidates said the city would eventually need additional fire stations and more long-term strategic planning as apartment and commercial growth continues across Maricopa. 

“Growth without infrastructure and public safety planning puts our residents at risk,” Knorr said. 

Marvin Brown, a former council member and vice mayor for 12 years, attended the event with his wife, Helen. He said he viewed most of the forum as performative rhetoric from candidates.  

“I think some of the candidates went overboard to cater to public safety to the extent it was annoying because it was phony,” he told InMaricopa following the forum.  

He said public safety always gets at least half the city budget 

“They enjoy good pensions and they give us good service,” Brown said. “But when you start pretending ‘oh, poor public safety,’ that’s not true. They do very well, and I think we ought to acknowledge that and not cater to them as ‘oh, they’re so poor.’ That’s phony.” 

Vincent Manfredi is owner of InMaricopa.  

City council candidates speak during a public safety forum at Leading Edge Academy on May 6, 2026. [Monica D. Spencer]

City council candidate James Singleton speaks during a candidate forum hosted by Maricopa's police and fire unions on May 6 2026. [Monica D. Spencer]

City council candidate Chrystal O'Jon speaks during a public safety forum at Leading Edge Academy on May 6, 2026. [Monica D. Spencer]

City council candidates speak during a public safety forum at Leading Edge Academy on May 6, 2026. [Monica D. Spencer]

Members of Maricopa's police and fire departments listen to a candidate forum hosted at Leading Edge Academy on May 6, 2026. [Monica D. Spencer]