Avihu Han: "I am optimistic - the city of Haifa can be put back on track after five difficult years"

Avihu Han, chairman of the Greens of Haifa, the person who worked voluntarily for a decade on behalf of the residents in the city council, served as deputy mayor and was chairman of the opposition in the last term, currently serves as acting and deputy mayor of Haifa and also holds three important portfolios.

Hahn holds the environmental portfolio in which he coordinates the Environmental Quality Committee and the Union of Cities for the Protection of the Environment, the union that monitors the polluting factories to see that the level of their emissions will be as low as possible.

He also holds the conservation portfolio in which he was elected chairman of the conservation committee. Han intends to preserve the special buildings in Haifa. According to him, there are buildings in Haifa that are very significant assets, which will later turn the city into a tourist city as well as a city that advocates sustainability.

In addition, he holds the neighborhood file and his goal is to reorganize the relationship between the residents and the city through the democratic election of neighborhood committees that will represent the residents vis-à-vis the city and act on behalf of the residents.

"Neighborhood councils are not fiction" - they are establishing a neighborhood council in Haifa ► Watch

In an interview with Lahi Fe, Han says that they divided the city into 37 neighborhoods and each neighborhood will have a chairman and representatives who will be democratically elected with an agreed upon plan, with the elected representatives representing the neighborhood vis-a-vis the city. In addition, they are going to establish a Haifa Neighborhood Council whose powers will be defined and which will be managed Once a quarter or every few months. Another significant thing that will be done is to provide a budget for the good of the neighborhood. The money will be given to the representative office, and it will decide how and in which areas to act for the sake of the neighborhood.

The neighborhood representatives are a strategic asset for Haifa

"The issue of the neighborhoods is an important issue to me because I think that neighborhood committees are not "fiction". The neighborhood committees are the ones who volunteer to ensure that their neighborhood is clean and cared for, and that the city will act for it. We see the neighborhood representatives as something that is very strategic for the city."

Patrols the neighborhoods and is open to any inquiries

Upon taking office and receiving the portfolio of neighborhoods, Han decided that sitting in the office all day was not the way to understand the spirit and the state of the city. Therefore, he goes out several times a week to tour the neighborhoods and hear what needs repair and care.

Later, he will transfer the issues to the operational elements of the Haifa municipality, so that they can fix them quickly. Thus, he gives the residents the feeling that there is someone who hears them and works for them. "You have to go out and listen to the active residents and the residents' representatives because they are the strength the city has," says Hahn.

Hahn also added that the residents feel that there is an office open for them and that they can contact their father Hahn personally because he is available to them by phone and that his email is open for any inquiries.

Quality of life in the city with the shading of trees

"The environmental quality case is the most important case in this city," Han says in the interview and continues "a clean city is a city where you can breathe clean air, a city that is surrounded by trees, a city where there is shading that comes from the trees. These produce quality of life in the city.'

I will activate the environmental quality committee

He goes on to say: "As the person holding the environment portfolio, first of all I will activate the environmental quality committee and I will work to promote the significant issues in this area: trees, wadis, a clean city, a city that deals with clean energy and energy renewal.

We will turn the union into an arrowhead in the activity of the Haifa municipality against the polluting factories

I will take the Union of Cities that contains the 12 municipalities in the Haifa Bay and has a wide range of roles and make it active - an association that will carefully examine all the activities of the polluting factories, in order to create a situation where the factories will reduce the amount of pollution.

We will work to evacuate the polluting factories from here and promote the plan of a new and clean Haifa Bay without air pollution. Also, we will work to promote the TMA 75 plan. We will take the union and turn it into an arrowhead in the activities of the municipality of Haifa. These are the issues that will allow the city of Haifa to grow and develop."

Planting a large amount of trees

Promotion of several programs on road shading:
"We are locating areas where we will invest in planting a large amount of trees, so that they will begin to produce the urbanism we want. We are starting in Kiryat Haim on Achi Eilat Street.

We will do it in coordination with all the parties. In addition, we will do a process of planting trees which is intended for many areas. We will locate the holes where the felled tree trunks are and plant new trees. We will plant thousands of trees every year, because the planting brings life to the city and creates a more pleasant climate, will lower the temperatures and raise the quality of life in Haifa."

The conservation makes it possible to create a city based on tourism and a city with a good quality of life ► Watch

"The issue of conservation is close to my heart with the understanding that conservation makes it possible to create a city based on tourism, with a good quality of life and with magnificent buildings," Han says and adds that on the issue of conservation, he promotes three issues that are important to him:

• To finish the preservation surveys in the city by professionals who will decide which buildings are worthy of preservation and discuss the level of preservation in each building. Han promotes with the preservation unit a significant set of preservation surveys, so that important buildings such as that building at 5 Yitzhak Avenue are not destroyed.
• Promote a preservation policy that will work with the courts and appeals committees and define the principles that are desired for those buildings that wish to be preserved.
• To promote conservation plans, this is a statutory and significant goal and we will promote it according to regional conservation plans for each region. We will build the appropriate conservation plan for that area and this conservation plan will form the basis for everything that can and is possible to build in that area based on the principles that will be defined within the conservation plan," Hahn concludes

The government is a friend who can help us develop and promote the city of Haifa

As acting mayor, Hahn is considered to be close to Yona Yahav, the mayor, who also uses him for other issues that are not defined as part of the three issues. Han and Mayor Yona Yahav do not see the government as an enemy, but as a friend who can help them develop and promote many issues in the city.

"I know that the mayor works almost every day with government officials," says Han and adds "I help him with this through the connection with the Blue and White party. We have one agenda - to develop a good city for its residents with government budgets and significant projects under it."

Come with a desire and every day do something good for the benefit of the city ► Watch

Cooperation in the corridors of Haifa Municipality

We all know that Haifa went through a difficult election process with many contestants (12 in number) which resulted in a second round with the victory of Yona Yahav. The same contestants who became rivals during the election period are now serving as deputy mayors and are part of the coalition. So how exactly are things going between the walls of the Haifa municipality?

"I think the beautiful thing is that all the factions united under the mayor for one task - to do good for the city and its residents in these five years. I think that under a coalition that comes from a good place and a correct agenda, under a mayor who comes with experience and under deputy mayors with experience in public activity and on the council The city of many years, an excellent synergy is created between all the different factors.

In the morning I see the smile of everyone who is here. We come with a good feeling and desire and every day we do something good for the residents of the city and I estimate that this will continue throughout the term. I am very optimistic to get the city back on track after five difficult years that the city has gone through."

A city that gives its residents a much better quality of life than it had until now

Han wants to see the city a much cleaner city, a city where the infrastructure, roads and sidewalks will be improved beyond recognition. A city where the air we breathe will be much cleaner air. A city where there will be employment, a city where the level of education will rise, a city that gives its residents a much better quality of life than it had until now.

"I think it's possible to do it," Hahn says.