A Maricopa County Superior Court judge ruled against an attempt by a Phoenix city council candidate to exclude a dissenter from the ballot because he did not meet the residency requirements.

Kevin Robinson, who owns a house with his wife in Scottsdale, admitted to renting a house in Awatsky to run for a seat on the 6th Ward Council. On Monday, Robinson testified that he stayed overnight at Awatsky 15 to 20 times in July, even though home security videos installed by his landlord showed movement about six times.

The judge was not entirely convinced by Robinson’s explanation that he made “relatively few” appearances on camera and that the thermostat tended to be set to a “relatively high temperature”. Officials ruled that the overall evidence, including Robinson’s voter registration, checking account, and renter’s insurance, showed that Robinson met all residency requirements to run.

In his ruling, Justice M. Scott McCoy noted that Robinson lived and worked in the district, writing:

“…the weight of the evidence reflects that Robinson has moved to District 6 and intends (and at a relevant time) to reside there permanently. , will eventually join him.”