The elections ended with a clear victory for Yona Yahav over David Etzioni, by a margin of 25%. The turnout was as expected low and stood at 34.5%. 9.4% less than the percentage of the vote in the first round (43.9%). Below are five important points to consider.
1. Einat Kalish Rotem - an experiment that failed
in my articles I criticized Klish a lot and explained why she is not suitable for her position. When she won in 2018, some argued that Klish won because of her title, her understanding of city planning, being young and a genius campaign. I thought that these figures must not have hurt, but the real reason that Klish won is that most of the Haifa people were killed by Yuna Yahav. in fact, The same Haifaites assumed that a klish was necessarily superior to a dove.
At the time it was an unfounded assumption. Five years later, it is factually clear that this was a serious error. Kalish finished the elections with 4.5% support percentage when her list won only 2.2% (and did not win even one seat in the city council). This gamble ended in five wasted years, in which the city not only did not advance but even moved backwards.
Conclusion: gambling is done in Las Vegas.
Remember well the mistake made in choosing a cliché. The next time you vote, in the national or local elections, don't go after false charms and shiny packaging.
2. Yona Yahav
Those who have read my articles already know that I expressed a lot of criticism about Yona's term of office. Nevertheless, when the list of candidates for mayor was established, I realized that Yona was the most suitable of all and I published an article in which I fully disclosed my support for him and my reasons.
I have come out a lot against the ugly phenomenon of ageism and unfortunately I found out that some of the city's residents do not bother with personal, irrelevant and irrelevant attacks on Yona. One of the more embarrassing arguments was along the lines of: "He has already failed." This logical fallacy is almost as impressive as the number of likes it received.
Benjamin Netanyahu didn't "fail" in the run for prime minister? Did it stop him from trying again and succeeding? Haven't we all "failed" a test at least once or twice and tried again until we succeeded? Athletes don't "fail" to win and try again and again for years? In general, what is the message we convey to our children with such an attitude? Those who fail must not try again?
This argument and others like it, as well as the ugly ageism are all designed to divert the discussion. Instead of supporters of other candidates explaining why they are the most suitable of all, they choose an attack approach of a threatening candidate and try to blackmail him. Fortunately, this cunning tactic did not work.
Bottom line: Jonah won because he was the most suitable candidate and most voters understood that.
3. The election system - many contestants and slander
The election period was interesting and challenging. Beyond the objective difficulties and the terrible times of the war, 12 candidates and 26 lists competed for the mayorship. In the past I wrote about the danger of the plurality of parties and their effect on governmental stability. Finally, 18 lists entered the council, half of which have only one mandate.
As far as the mayoral candidates are concerned, my position is that most of them should not have run for mayor at all and certainly should have withdrawn their candidacy before the first election date. It was the large number of candidates that led to a second and unnecessary round in the city.
Unfortunately, this election campaign was characterized by an unimaginable amount of hate speech, defamation, fake news and sometimes pure evil. Every matter-of-fact discussion was taken over by countless non-matter-of-fact responses, all of which aim to attack and slander.
Some Haifaites and candidates are required to do a deep and painful soul-searching for sin
At the end of the day, the goal is the same for most of us - a Haifa that is pleasant to live in and is prosperous and successful. It is possible and desirable to argue about the path and who the appropriate leader is, but from here to the phenomena we saw in the electoral process, there is an abyss.
Such improper conduct renders any candidate who engages in it redundant. After all, if these are the candidate's values, what does he have for a leadership position as mayor?
4. The voting percentages and their meaning
In the first round, the national turnout was 53.7%, while that of Haifa was 43.9%. In the second round, in which, according to past data, the percentage of voters was about ten percent lower, the national turnout was 46.1%, while in Haifa it was 34.5%.
As expected, the turnout was lower due to the situation in the country. However, it is clearly seen that in Haifa the voting percentage was lower than the national one in both the first round and the second round. A similar phenomenon was observed in the elections in 2018 (then there was only one round). When you focus on the second round in Haifa, it becomes clear that approximately two-thirds of the electorate did not bother to vote.
This fact can be explained by several factors such as:
Indifference, lack of trust (both bad), the thought that which of the two will win anyway, laziness or a combination of some of the factors. The bottom line is that the majority of the Haifa public is not involved in influencing the city in which they live. It is a disturbing phenomenon when citizens do not care or are discouraged. In fact, you have a lot of power and when you don't go out to vote, you voluntarily transfer your power to other people with different positions and even opposite to yours. In other words - you are what Israelis hate the most - suckers.
Suggestions for improving turnout and public involvement in future elections
- Civic education for the importance of voting - materials and activities that emphasize the importance of participating in elections and their impact on urban life should be incorporated into school curricula.
- Emphasizing the direct effects - it is important to illustrate to the residents the direct consequences of the elections on their lives, such as municipal services, education, security, transportation, projects and more.
- Campaigns to raise awareness - before the elections, extensive media campaigns should be conducted that will explain the importance of voting and the consequences of not voting on everyday life.
- Active participation of the residents - during the term, the Authority can and should actively involve the residents in decision-making through public discussions, providing the opportunity to voice opinions and sharing relevant information. In this way the residents will feel that they have a real influence.
Encouraging civic participation is essential for a healthy democracy in general and in the city in particular. A combination of education, public awareness and accessibility can contribute greatly to increasing voter turnout.
5. The polls
How the polls have been slandered, mainly by the laymen or those with an interest. In the past I dedicated an article to the subject of surveys, and explained how they should be treated and evaluated.
In fact, the independent polls published over many months consistently showed a number of predictions that turned out to be completely correct. These polls predicted the crash of Kalish, the second round between Yona and Zioni and the clear victory of Yona. The false polls and the other arguments and heartbreaks of some of the candidates and their supporters, shattered on the bedrock of reality.
Epilogue
"Everything has an end" said Geoffrey Chaucer, an English poet and writer from the 14th century. Indeed, the stormy period of Cliché and the current election campaign have also ended. Haifa has many challenges and the mayor, the coalition and the entire council have a lot of important work to do. We wish them much success, may they keep professionalism, abilities and dedication at the forefront of their minds so that all residents of Haifa reap the fruits of success. And I'll end by wishing that we behave better to others, respect, listen and who knows, maybe we'll learn something new.
This is insolence of the first degree. He is a 40-year-old student who wants to live in a big, new apartment. He buys wine for 60 shekels and complains about pensioners. Who do you think Azmacha is a prima donna who was not born yet? And drink water from the tap and you sit like a prima donna alone in a big apartment and complain about your life, explain to him Hanan that without the generation, there would be no country here at all and that he will always be ashamed, he is a negative pole toward retirees
Response to - "Perhaps the pathos in which I write may be about the content"
"But nothing I've written is exaggerated." – Definitely excessive and I proved it to you with data. For example, your incorrect claim that rental prices in Haifa are lower than in Tel Aviv.
"As a gate worker at the Haifa municipality, I am a first-hand witness to the transformation of almost all the parking lots around the municipality building into "disabled" parking lots, so in quotation marks, which are actually parking lots for the municipality's employees." - I am not familiar with the subject, so I cannot comment.
"Also as a former employee of the municipality, and as a current student, I am accurate when I say that pensioners in the city with a very healthy income receive an automatic discount, while students are not entitled to a discount even after presenting a bank statement that indicates the distress of their situation." - I think you are right that the discount (in property taxes) should be Depends on the income, regardless of the person's age. However, there are pensioners in a difficult financial situation for whom it is important to make payments easier.
"Regarding your comment about a glass of wine for NIS 60 - you sin in tangential thinking. I started by saying that there is no public transportation from the lower city that would allow the young people in the city to go outside their radius and therefore they are "raped" to consume a glass of wine for NIS 60, or simply give up their social life immediately." - I don't understand the claim that there is no public transportation from the lower city. There is a matron, a train, a Carmelite. What exactly is missing? You can also walk on foot in some cases. Anyway, what is the accessibility or financial problem with going outside the city? And let's say you are right about everything, why do we have to drink a glass of wine for NIS 60? I must say that I was in a respectable restaurant in the city last week and a glass of Merlot wine cost NIS 35.
"And your answer, "My daughters use public transportation and they personally have no problem", is an opaque and mostly irrelevant answer. Glad for both of your daughters that their specific stations are well connected." - Why is the answer opaque and irrelevant? You argued against public transport based on your own experience. I argued on the other hand and based on my daughters' experience that public transportation is fine. What is the problem with my argument and support?
"You are welcome to continue on your way and cancel everything that the young people of the city complain about with embarrassing excuses like "ageism", - I do not cancel, what the other says. On the contrary, I take your words completely seriously. My detailed and reasoned responses prove this in my opinion.
"However, the reality is what it is, so to say that everything is not true is gaslighting, the result of which is the escalation of the trend that you deny - we are running away from here in despair." - In a culture of debate, it is expected of those who raise an argument to justify it. When you wrote things that were not true, I put you on the spot. This is certainly not gaslighting.
I completely agree that young people are leaving the city and the growth trend of the city is very worrying. On this I give my opinion, write and try to change as best I can.
Response to - "Living in the shoes of a 20-35-year-old nowadays,"
The first writer said "live a few hours in the shoes of a 20-35 year old in the city before you accuse him of being racist against old people." First, there is no connection between living in the shoes of a 20-35 year old and old age. And I certainly didn't blame the writer, but I directly referred to his statements towards the senior citizens ("well-heeled pensioners") and denounced them.
The rationale for comparing my experience as a 20-35 year old to what is happening today, lies in the fact that in my opinion the issues the writer is referring to have not changed fundamentally compared to today, certainly if compared to the whole of the country. The cost of rent, the cost of living, the property tax and benefits for retirees were also there before.
It is certainly true that the cost of living has risen alarmingly, but it is not related to Haifa specifically but to the whole country. If it can be argued that in terms of housing prices, the situation in Haifa is even better than any large city in the country with the exception of Beer Sheva - I wrote about this in the first article I published. Of course, the reasons for the low housing prices in Haifa are worrisome and I wrote about it.
What are these accusations against the pensioners and old residents shame and shame who are you anyway! As if they are all millionaires, come out of the shell you live in. The writer Hanan is right. The rent in Haifa is relatively the cheapest compared to cities in the center. Even for 2500 you can find a small apartment in an old neighborhood.
Response to Yaron Hanan:
I completely agree that all types of populations should be listened to and certainly regardless of their political affiliation. However, data-based criticism must be distinguished from mere vilification.
Specifically regarding the response in question, I understand the writer's resentment, but most of his words are not accurate, not to mention erroneous:
"Rent a moldy apartment here at Tel Aviv prices" - as you know, rent prices in Tel Aviv are dramatically higher than in Haifa. For general knowledge, the average rent in Tel Aviv in 2023 was 6,574 NIS compared to 3,260 NIS in Haifa.
"The highest property tax in the country" - the property tax in Haifa is indeed one of the highest in the country, but certainly not the highest in the country. At the time when I checked the order was: Jerusalem, Ramat Gan, Bnei Brak, Givatayim and only then Haifa.
"All the well-heeled pensioners in this city get an automatic discount at your expense" - beyond the irrelevant reference to senior citizens, as far as I know, the discount is nationwide, so the claim against Haifa is irrelevant. In each launch city the discount will be "at his expense".
"Horrible, distant and filthy public transportation that has no timetable, inside and outside the city" I don't use public transportation but my daughters do and they personally have no problem.
"A glass of wine for 60 shekels" - if he chooses to pay 60 shekels for a glass of wine, it is his decision and not related to Haifa or its management.
"90% of the parking lots in the city are for the disabled" - a wild slander that lacks any factual basis.
But nothing I wrote is exaggerated.
As a gate worker at the Haifa municipality, I am a first-hand witness to the transformation of almost all the parking lots around the municipality building into "disabled" parking lots, so in quotation marks, which are actually parking lots for the municipality's employees.
Also as a former employee of the municipality, and as a current student, I am accurate when I say that pensioners in the city with a very healthy income receive an automatic discount, while students are not entitled to a discount even after presenting a bank statement that indicates the distress of their situation.
Regarding your comment about a glass of wine for NIS 60 - you are guilty of tangential thinking. I started by saying that there is no public transportation from the lower city that would allow young people in the city to go outside their radius, and therefore they are "raped" to consume a glass of wine for NIS 60, or simply give up social life immediately their.
And to your answer "My daughters use public transportation and they personally have no problem", this is a closed and mostly irrelevant answer. Happy for both of your daughters that their specific stations are well connected.
You are welcome to continue on your way and cancel everything that the young people of the city complain about with embarrassing excuses like "ageism",
However, reality is what it is, so to say that everything is not true is gaslighting, the result of which is the escalation of the trend that you deny - we are running away from here in despair.
Response to "Hanan Habibi"
Attacking pensioners does not help any of your arguments. By the way, in Yona, tens of thousands of voters, all pensioners, chose? I assure you of a personal acquaintance that not all of them are.
"Live a few hours in the shoes of a 20-35 year old in the city before you accuse him of being a racist towards old people."
I have lived all my life in Haifa, including in the age ranges you mentioned, so by definition you were in the shoes you mention.
Of all your comments, I only agree with the employment issue and indeed I wrote about it extensively in my previous articles.
I suggest that the elected officials from the coalition and the opposition take seriously the claims made here by this young man who probably represents a lot of young people of his age... Even if he probably did not vote for who I voted for, as an elected official I would take his words to heart, and ignore the somewhat inflammatory style of writing His... This is the secret to the success of elected officials - to listen to everyone and not just their base!
I don't see the rationale for comparing it to your experience from years ago.
A great victory for the left and the Arabs in the city of Haifa.
You have to accept the vote of the voter and pray for the best.
Say are you connected?
Is this an awkward argument that presents a logical fallacy?
This is indeed a well-founded argument that presents a healthy memory
And your argument towards this is indeed embarrassing and shows logic, indeed, brother
Hashomer is right in the government they don't like him and they won't count Haifa again, I think it will continue to be older, less Jewish, with fewer employment opportunities and with real estate prices at the bottom.
It is likely that Yona will include representatives of the government in the coalition. Yossi Hanig from the Religious Zionist Unity Movement is an example of this.
21 mandates are currently required to control and closely promote programs to correct all the flaws in the city's management, to work to reduce the parties in the coalition in order to move forward effectively to the threshold, only those who are truly committed to the residents... Of course, this will not happen because globalist elements are involved in local politics.
In order to establish a coalition, a minimum majority in the council of 16 mandates is required. It is certain that the broader the coalition, the greater its stability.
It seems that the writer is choosing to divert attention from the real issue, which is a drastic change necessary for the conduct of the city, at the moment Yona has 5 mandates, he must create a broad coalition that will allow for drastic moves to correct all the flaws in the conduct of the city, join forces with a close common denominator and are committed to comprehensive conduct and not for the sake of such a sector or Another....at the head is to place an energetic manager who is committed to the city and its residents...in order to increase the involvement of the residents in all the neighborhoods....along with the greens and also integrate the retirees, the heads of the communities and the dignitaries in order to increase accessibility throughout the city and to the commercial centers, this is a concentration of mandates that will enable control over what is happening for two-thirds of the mandates, that is, over 21, for stable and uncompromising conduct,
The changes required in the city are the reason for choosing Yona Yahav. Yona has already published which lists will be in his coalition. The greens and pensioners you mentioned signed coalition agreements as well as other good lists.
You are right and it seems that this is the direction we are going, but in politics the only test is the test of the deed and the result and let's hope for good results that all the Haifa people have been hoping for for a long time!
The main problem is the inaccessibility of the polling stations. Most of the polling stations are located behind stairs and even one upper floor.
A person who needs an accessible ballot box near his place of residence can use the following link:
https://www.gov.il/he/departments/dynamiccollectors/accessible-polling?skip=0
Hanan, thank you for an excellent and to the point analysis.
I hope that the residents of Haifa and the new leadership will change
Emphasis will be placed on involvement and sharing,
For all of us, at the local and national level.
A biased article by a Yona supporter. How can an 80-year-old man, sick, tired, weak, having difficulty walking (everyone saw it) and no politician in the country supported him with his voice and stood by him, be able to succeed?. What record of proven action other than stupid slogans do the members of the council have other than flattery seeking salary, throne, respect?? How will this collection promote the city? The government will not help this group and Haifa, which was on the verge of bankruptcy from its financial sources, will not advance but will go backwards. I'm sorry but the worst and the worst is still waiting for Haifa
For anyone who still wonders what ageism is, the response of "Hashomer Be Shear" is a great example of this: "How an 80-year-old man is sick, tired, weak, has difficulty walking (everyone has seen it)..."
There are tens of thousands of Haifaites who voted for Yona - so apparently not "everyone saw it".
Regarding the claim "that no politician in the country supported him with his voice" - what exactly does this indicate? And does this indicate that politicians supported other candidates who lost? Yuna will be able to succeed by building a broad coalition that also includes local representatives of national parties.
The rest of your words are slander.
The hundreds of retirees who chose him did not see that he would become obsolete by virtue of their own existence,
Scream ageism all you want, it won't change much.
Live for a few hours in the shoes of a 20-35 year old in the city before you accuse him of being a racist towards old people.
Rent a moldy apartment here at Tel Aviv prices and pay the highest property tax in the country even if you are a poor student (because all the poor pensioners in this city get an automatic discount at your expense), travel by crappy, remote and dirty public transportation that has no timetable, inside and outside the city Because in order to make a living above the minimum wage, how do you have no choice but to look for a job in the center, after that take your minimum wage and spend it all on a glass of wine for NIS 60 on the Moriah axis with no choice because there is no public transportation that will bring you back home from the lower city, and you will give up the car because 90% Some of the parking lots in the city are for the disabled, God knows why.
I just started, but I hope you're done with it.
So many lists and positions worked in favor of the experienced Yona Yahav who made sure it happened. Take for example the Russian speakers in Haifa, they could easily be the cheapest list and even bring their own mayor. Only a small percentage are going to choose and a large number of lists and classes erodes their power. In short suckers. An inexperienced Etzioni made a deal with the ultra-Orthodox for Yona Yahav. It was to tell what disaster it would lead to. Haifa will be closed on Shabbat. In another 5 years we will know what damage the new mayor will bring us. And if at all he will finish all the years.
The problem with age is that one term will not be enough to repair the damage that Klish has caused. I don't see Yona competing at the age of 85. Hopefully he will train one of his younger supporters to continue rehabilitation.
The article contains several important insights. It is worth emphasizing:
1. A large number of contestants who remain, until the elections themselves, without a real chance of being elected, is harmful to "realistic" elections.
2. Spreading false information and ridiculous polls harm the democratic process.
3. Civil duty to attend and vote. Every citizen must express his opinion on such an important issue.
Indifference is in its place, why vote for one of them that no one promised to lower the crazy property tax in the city?
They all dodged it and led to normal discourse and normal promises.
Let there be one brave person who promises to streamline the municipality and lower property taxes for its residents, there will be 90% of the vote.
The election system - many contestants and slander
Especially the slime.
I have never seen such disgust in my life.
Hanan, nice analysis of the situation!
And Eitan, indeed the Knesset elections have already caused us a lot of trouble!
Appropriate title for the article
Hanan, you are sharp and precise as always
Breathe!
In my opinion, you pointed to one side that you write about slanders and ageism, you did not mention, for example, the slanders in a Zionist agreement with the ultra-Orthodox minority in the city as if we lived in some anti-Semitic city in the last century.
It's also a shame you didn't address the results in the city council and the sectoral votes. We heard protests "from home" against candidates for example Yoav Ramati whom Ben Gvir supported and where are the same protests against Balad for example that its founder is suspected of aiding the enemy and fled to Qatar and here in "liberal" Haifa contrary to even the national results they were elected to the council? Ayman Odeh calls on his Facebook users on the eve of the vote to vote Yahav and not Zionist, aren't you worried? Are you not worried that the elected mayor told Israel today that 85% of the residents of the sector in the city chose him? Why does he say that?
Where is Haifa going with the elected mayor? liberal? Doesn't it worry you that Haifa is changing its face demographically?
One of the most inappropriate things in our discourse is when a Jew calls another Jew anti-Semitic. Beyond the logical fallacy, it is a question of attaching a false derogatory word and one that does not promote substantive discourse.
Unfortunately, some chose to publish ads in the ultra-Orthodox sector in favor of Etzioni and against Yona, and the backlash was not long in coming. Slanders are wrong, no matter which side they come from. But remember that every action has a reaction.
By the way, the Arab sector that you mentioned in your response - to the best of my knowledge and the publications, both sides had talks with its representatives. Specifically regarding Ayman Odeh, his views and mine differ on some things, but what is wrong with a sector leader encouraging his residents to vote for Yuna? And what do you think about the fake video in which false and inflammatory captions were attached to Odeh's words? What do you think of those who shared the false video on social media?
To your question: no. I am not worried that the majority of the residents of the Arab sector supported Yona Yahav. They are residents of the city just like you and me, equal rights and duties.
In my opinion, Haifa is moving to an excellent place. Equipped with a good coalition and practical people. There is great potential for improvement and I hope it will be realized. I wish that Haifa will develop and prosper on the one hand and preserve the diversity and fraternal relations between the city's residents, on the other hand.
Hanan, an excellent analysis whose conclusions are very worrying.
Indifference and indifference even in the elections to the Knesset of his day are a lot of trouble for us.
For the positive, I will note that the public (including me) learned an important chapter with the duo that ends its term at 9:00 p.m.
Thanks Eitan, feedback is important, especially from a person who knows the procedures well from the inside.
Indeed, indifference to elections is bad news for democracy and its supporters.
Well spoken . Every word carved in stone. I didn't need reality to swell up in my face. I saw the upcoming when Klish was chosen exactly as you viewed in your article. Well done.
At this point in time, I came to the conclusion that two main criteria should guide me when I come to decide which candidate to choose for mayor, or for any other public position:
1. Integrity - choosing a candidate who is a liar, self-interested and dishonest can end in disaster.
2. Management ability - the ability to choose a team (staff), motivate it and operate it properly.
I don't know what you mean when you refer to "age", however age can have quite an effect on management ability and therefore age is definitely a determining factor in deciding who to choose.
In any case, good luck with Yona Yahav. We definitely need and deserve a leadership that will restore the city and advance it.
Thank you Yossi, I agree with your two indicators and I have previously written about other indicators that are important to me.
By age I meant all those who attributed Jonah's age to his detriment. Age is not the factor, but the clarity of the person and his ability to function. It is true that as age increases there may be an effect on a person's functioning, but in the discussed case of Yona, it was clearly seen in his appearances in the media that he is vital, involved and has a strong desire to win and lead the city.
I join in your best wishes and hope that it will be successful for the benefit of Haifa.