Crystal Greer thinks she is part of the next generation of Maricopa city leaders. 

At 36, the Santa Rosa Springs resident is highly educated, technologically savvy, a data driven “disruptor” and a singer/songwriter working on several albums. 

She’s also energized by the power of motherhood, having five of her own she shares with her wife, Geraldine Greer. Her youngest child is two months. 

She’s a former member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and said she left because she is gay. The Mormon Church has slackened its views on gay marriage, but Greer said she feels more accepted at Maricopa’s Journey United Methodist Church. 

“I might be gay, but I’m a moderate,” she said. “That’s what sets me apart as an independent. I really believe in the United States of America and making Maricopa a united place to be. Not the divisiveness that’s been going on with the political back-and-forth. I truly believe there’s a way forward through the middle, where people can find a win-win.”  

While she announced a write-in bid for this year’s election on Wednesday, her first official foray into local politics may not come for a while. 

“I’m officially going to run for city council in two years,” she told InMaricopa at her home yesterday with a sleeping infant cradled in her arms. “It’s too late this year. I’m real. I want to get involved in politics and I’m willing to work my way up from the bottom.” 

The election is Tuesday and this is the first voters are hearing about her. Still, she announced an unorthodox write-in campaign with mere days to go. 

The only hitch is she’s a few weeks late in declaring her candidacy, even as a write-in candidate. 

So, her only option is to ask voters to write her name on the ballot anyway — but under state elections law, that doesn’t secure an actual council seat should she garner the most write-in votes. 

Maricopa City Clerk Vanessa Bueras said there is no official write-in candidate running for a city council seat. 

But Greer said she is pitching the bid regardless, in this election and the next. 

She promises to bring “new, young blood” to Maricopa City Council.  

“I’m a moderate, intelligent, qualified woman ready to serve the community and listen to you and your desires to make Maricopa a place you and your family can be proud to call home,” she said in her announcement. 

During her interview with InMaricopa, she said, “You’ve got to start somewhere and the only way to make a splash is to get your name known and to do something. Otherwise, no one will take you seriously.” 

Believing that the City of Maricopa needs more data to guide its growth, she swears by the concept of a Smart City. Consequently, she wants to join Maricopa’s Planning and Zoning Commission to help the city get smart en route to city council. 

Her résumé states she worked on the Smart Cities team at Intel in Santa Clara, Calif., as a senior UX researcher for Protective Life Insurance and served as a U.S. delegate and global innovation fellow for the U.S. State Department.  

There, she helped build a smart city and a smart park, that included housing for workers adjacent to the workplace. It included an app that allowed resident-workers to purchase anything inside the smart community. 

A smart city is a technologically modern urban area that uses different types of electronic methods and sensors to collect specific data. Information gained from that data is used to manage assets, resources and services efficiently. In return, that data is used to improve operations across the city.  

“I do think that I bring a new perspective that they haven’t followed,” Greer said of city leaders. 

Her homeowner’s association where she’s owned a home for three years turned her ideas away, saying their budget was already planned five years out. 

“I need to go to a bigger stage then,” she said, referring to city government.  

She has spoken to Tena Dugan, a Maricopa businesswoman and a member of city advisory boards, whom she said urged Greer to share her young and innovative ideas by getting involved in city government.  

“I do want to see more happen in the future of our city,” Greer said. “It’s not just about me, it’s about the future generations and my kids. What if they decide that they want to make Maricopa their home? There’s still not many things to do for families and kids.”  

The young mother is a musician with songs she recorded online (listen to them here) and she has some serious academic credentials. They include a master’s degree in user experience from the Ira Fulton School of Engineering at Arizona State University. ASU records confirm that and note she graduated in 2022. 

“I had a 3.97 GPA and was at the top of my class,” she said. 

Greer said she has earned several graduate certificates in engineering project management, alongside a certification in entrepreneurship from Draper University.  

Greer said she is now pursuing a second master’s degree in exceptional student education, with a specialization in applied behavior analysis. She said she also plans to attend law school. 

“My passion is to build smart cities and improve the lives of children and neurodivergent individuals,” she said. “Drawing from my background in UX and my deep understanding of behavioral science, I am preparing to open an ABA practice in Maricopa. This practice will offer personalized behavioral therapy services aimed at empowering each child with autism to thrive.” 

She said her professional path “underscores a commitment to innovation and equity in education, behavioral health and smart city development.” 

“Through continuous learning and the application of cutting-edge methodologies in UX and ABA, I strive to make a meaningful impact in my community,” she said.  “I am dedicated to promoting independence, social skills and academic success.”