To the editor,
As a candidate for Maricopa City Council and a grandmother of two boys, I care deeply about the safety and health of our children. That is why I want to bring attention to a question many parents are asking but few are answering: What do we really know about cell towers and wireless infrastructure near our schools?
This is not a simple yes-or-no issue. Like many modern technologies, wireless infrastructure offers real benefits alongside legitimate questions about health and safety. As your potential city council representative, I believe our community deserves a thoughtful, informed discussion about this topic — one that doesn’t dismiss either the technology’s value or parents’ concerns.
The benefits and the questions
We cannot ignore the reality that wireless technology has become integral to modern life. Cell networks provide emergency communication, support digital learning, and connect our community in ways that were unimaginable a generation ago.
However, the presence of wireless infrastructure — especially near schools where children spend extended hours — raises legitimate questions about long-term health effects. According to a recent interview on wireless safety, as one expert noted, wireless technology deserves the same scrutiny we once gave to lead: “Why has the public not been informed so they are able to make good decisions?”
What we know and what we don’t
The scientific consensus on electromagnetic field exposure is still evolving. Federal standards exist for safe levels of exposure, but there are legitimate discussions in the scientific community about whether current guidelines fully account for children’s unique vulnerabilities. Research indicates that children’s bodies may absorb radiation more readily than adults’ bodies due to thinner skulls and developing tissues.
We also have real-world reports from communities. When a new cell tower was installed on one block in Pittsfield, Mass., multiple residents reported health issues shortly afterward. While correlation is not causation, these accounts deserve investigation and transparency — not dismissal.
Following the money
Here’s an uncomfortable truth: the telecom industry has significant financial incentives to deploy infrastructure quickly, often with minimal local input. Our city receives modest lease payments for tower installation on public land, but these fees are typically a fraction of what companies make. We must ask: Are we prioritizing short-term city revenue over long-term community health? This is a conversation worth having openly, not behind closed doors.
What parents and community members can do
While we work toward better policy, there are steps families can take to reduce exposure:
- Keep personal devices away from children’s bodies whenever possible and turn Wi-Fi off at night.
- Request that schools offer hardwired internet options in addition to wireless.
- Attend city council meetings and school board meetings to ask questions about tower locations and health protocols.
- Work with advocacy groups like the National Call for Safe Technology to stay informed about pending legislation.
What Maricopa City Council should do
If elected, here is my commitment to you:
- Transparency. Any cell tower application near schools or residential areas will be reviewed in open session with full public comment periods. No more hidden agreements.
- Health Impact Assessment. Before approving infrastructure near schools, we will require independent health and safety reviews.
- Community Voice. Parents and educators will have a real seat at the table when these decisions are made.
- Accountability. We will mandate regular monitoring of EMF levels in schools and neighborhoods, with results made public.
I have spent 30 years in community service, and 15 years specifically in Maricopa, because I believe we can make decisions that serve both progress and protection. We don’t have to choose between 5G and health. We can demand better: infrastructure that meets our community’s needs while prioritizing the safety of our children.
This election, I’m asking for your vote based on a record of transparency, accountability, and putting community welfare first. On the issue of cell towers near schools, I promise you this: I will listen, I will ask hard questions, and I will never prioritize company profits over your child’s health.
That is what teamwork, transparency, and results looks like.
Chrystal Allen-O’Jon
Candidate for Maricopa City Council
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6 Responses
Chrystal, I genuinely respect community involvement — but this particular platform might need some work. Major health organizations, including the WHO and the American Cancer Society, have consistently found no evidence that wireless transmissions at permitted exposure levels harm human health. Real-world exposure from cell towers is typically 100 to 1,000 times below the FCC’s already-conservative safety limits — limits that include significant safety margins well below any threshold of known harm. So while you’re busy advising parents to turn off their Wi-Fi at night, the scientific community would like a word. Spreading misinformation — however well-intentioned — causes real harm by stoking fear without evidence to support it. Voters who take five minutes to research this issue will find the science firmly disagreeing with your letter, and that’s a credibility problem that won’t stay confined to this one topic. Your community deserves a council member who builds their platform on facts, not talking points borrowed from fringe advocacy groups.
Sigh. Yet another nebulous problem that Mrs. O’John read about on Facebook, that can only be addressed when we elect Mrs. O’John to the mighty position of city councilor. There is no proven evidence that low frequency RF radiation causes any sort of health issues. Don’t take my word for it, and don’t take Mrs. O’John’s either. Do your own research and don’t give into fear porn from someone trying to kickstart a political career.
https://www.cancer.org/cancer/risk-prevention/radiation-exposure/cellular-phone-towers.html
I have lived in Maricopa for over a decade and still have cell service issues in my area of residence. My biggest fear is not being able to make an important call in my own home or around my neighborhood. This should be addressed and if more cell phone towers are required then add them.
How could you not support such a righteous forehead.
If you really want to protect your kids get rid of the microwave. It causes way more radiation then anything else in your home. Its not always on but kids watching the hot pocket warm up will be 1000s times worse then any 5G over years of exposure.
If any of these claims were true nobody would be building cell towers at all near schools let alone in America. There is no such thing as “evolving consensus” when you are using emotional appeals to stoke fear, than doing research with actual claims, with the things everyone relies on daily. 5G and Fiber is one of the most important investments in the future of towns, rural areas can make for businesses and early education. Without it young families will not move in the first place.