Peoria has quashed questions about Councilmember Jennifer Crawford's residency and has accused a resident of possibly sharing falsified documents to claim the leader no longer lived in her district.
The action comes more than a month after Crawford was accused of not living in the region of the city she represents and one day after Maricopa County Attorney Mitchell said Peoria was responsible
for investigating the claim.Peoria City Attorney Emily Jurmu said that after a review, including looking at Crawford's legally protected address, she had "no legal or factual basis to question" Crawford's residency or believe the Acacia District seat was vacant. The Acacia District covers the southeastern portion of the city.
"I conclude that the allegation
against Councilmember Crawford is not meritorious, and in fact, Councilmember Crawford may have been the victim of a false allegation predicated on falsified documents," said Jurmu.
Jurmu was not part of the closed-door legal discussion city leaders had about the residency matter ahead of the Oct. 6 meeting, but City Manager Mike Faust said a city attorney was present.
Mayor Jason Beck identified Jon Forsythe, who first publicly made the accusations based on public records, as the resident who may have shared falsified documents. Before Forsythe spoke during the public comment portion of the meeting, Beck said the matter was turned over to a law enforcement agency for review and action.
Because of this, Beck said the city would not speak further about an open investigation and encouraged Forsythe to do the same. That didn't sway Forsythe, a frequent critic of Beck.
"Well, I can speak about whatever I want to," said Forsythe. "I think that's just a move of intimidation, but hey, that's fine. Everything that I have provided anyone is publicly available."
Forsythe said after the meeting he felt bullied and was disappointed at the accusation, but not too surprised. He wasn't out to harass Crawford, he said, but to prove she didn't live in her district. He said any information he obtained was public.
Faust declined to comment on the probe, including which law enforcement agency was investigating and which documents may have been falsified, citing the open investigation.
Public records suggest different conclusions regarding Crawford's residency
Crawford is seeking a second term in the upcoming general election and faces write-in challenger Emily Saeteurn.
Residents have challenged whether Crawford properly represents her part of the city or can run for reelection after she recently sold the house she listed as her residence on election paperwork filed with the city. Peoria's charter requires council candidates and councilmembers to reside in their district.
Various public records suggest different conclusions about where she might live. Property and business records tie Crawford to a home in north Peoria, in the city's Willow District.
Her family's trust has owned the Willow District home since 2024, and Crawford's husband recently updated his voter registration to say this home was his residential address, according to Maricopa County Recorder voter data.
By late September, county recorder voter data showed Crawford's residential address was still listed as the Acacia District home she sold in July.
Crawford has not answered direct questions about her residency or the voter data. She publicly acknowledged what property records show, but said that changed nothing about her residency. She has refused to say where in Acacia she lives, citing fears for her and her family's safety.
She urged the public to use common sense: Why would she use her Willow District address in public records if she was trying to hide that she owned the property? She also shared the Willow District home would soon be sold, but not because of the recent questioning of her residency. She didn't explain why her family was selling it.
After it was unclear whether anyone would investigate the accusations, Crawford asked Rachel Mitchell to review whether she still lived in Acacia. But Mitchell said that under state law, her office's investigation was limited to whether Crawford lived in Peoria, not in her district.
Faust said this situation was an opportunity to amend city code to more clearly define the timing and role the Council could play in this process, if a similar allegation arises in the future.
Other districted cities, like Phoenix and Mesa, have similar residency requirements in their charter.
Spokespeople for those cities said that if councilmembers no longer resided in their district, the cities would look to enforce the charter. Casey Blake, a Mesa spokesperson, said that if it were determined councilmembers no longer lived in their district, their seat would be considered vacated.
Elena Santa Cruz covers the West Valley cities of Glendale, Surprise and Peoria. Reach her at elena.santacruz@arizonarepublic.com or follow her on X @ecsantacruz3.
Like this story? Get more West Valley news straight into your email inbox by signing up for our free weekly West Valley Newsletter, which comes out on Tuesdays.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Peoria OKs leader to run for office, says resident faked documents
