(haipo) – In recent weeks, the trend of senior officials leaving the Haifa municipality has been increasing, with key officials ending their terms one after another. Along with the director of the Municipal Corporations Bureau, Israel Ben Shalom, the municipality's spokesman Eliran Tal, and the director of the Coastal Division, Chilik Amsalem (who was placed on leave), the city engineer, Ariel Waterman, the municipality's legal advisor, Attorney Yamit Klein, and the head of the welfare department, Meira Kiperman, were also recently replaced.
Exchanging senior officials on such a large scale within such a short period of time certainly does not contribute to the stability of the municipality, and the question is whether the wave of departures is expected to continue and additional senior officials will join it, or whether the process has perhaps come to an end.
Israel Ben Shalom, Director of the Municipal Corporations Bureau – Retires
Israel Ben Shalom, one of the oldest employees in the Haifa Municipality, is retiring after 46 years of work in various positions in the municipality, including as Assistant Mayor, CEO of the Haifa Theater, and Director of the Municipal Corporations Bureau over the past decade.
During the term of office of the previous mayor, Dr. Einat Kalisch Rotem, Ben Shalom went to court with the aim of postponing his retirement, and the court approved his continued employment until the end of the elections. After Mayor Yona Yahav's victory in the elections, Ben Shalom continued in his position for several months and is now ending his career in the municipality and, as mentioned, retiring.
Ben Shalom's response will be attached to the article, when received.
Municipality spokesman Eliran Tal ends his position
Eliran Tal, who was appointed as the city's spokesperson by the previous mayor, Einat Kalisch Rotem, announced that he would be stepping down after the Passover holiday. Although the position of spokesperson is considered a position of trust, the current mayor, Yona Yahav, decided to keep him in his position even after the change of government in the city.
Tal, a journalist with a considerable media record in his past, began his career in the local press and later worked for various news channels, including Channel 20 (Today 14) and the Broadcasting Authority. During Kalisch's tenure, Rotem experienced ups and downs in his relationship with her, but continued in his position until the end of her term, and now, after several months of working under Yahav, he is expected to end his position soon.
"I thank the mayors, the previous and current," said Tal, "to Director General Gadi Margalit and the municipality's management, for fascinating years and great and fruitful work for the city and its residents. Without cynicism - I entered the position out of a sense of mission - to work for the city where I was born and raised. When you fulfill a role from a place of love, you cannot fail. I am moving on from here to my next professional challenge in my career, but my heart will always remain in Haifa. On this occasion, I would like to thank the excellent and talented employees of the department, who, together with me, have signed a series of achievements in the fields of speaking, advertising and outreach."
Hilik Amsalem, Director of the Coastal Division – Forced vacation that causes a storm
The director of the Haifa Municipality's Beaches Department, Chilik Amsalem, received a letter stating that he was being placed on forced leave for an indefinite period of time. Despite this, Amsalem continues to come to work. His lawyer, Attorney Liron Beck of the Basha Zvida & Co. law firm, claims that the municipality does not have the authority to place any employee on forced leave for an indefinite period of time and that the municipality is violating the law in this regard, that Amsalem is legally responsible for the safety, health, and security on Haifa's beaches as the bathing season is just beginning, and that the political echelon in the municipality is trying to oust Amsalem, contrary to the position of the professional echelon, due to political pressure from the workers' committee.
Amsalem, who has worked for the municipality for 30 years, has been widely praised for the significant improvement in rescue services, cleaning and maintenance on Haifa's beaches since he took office. According to his associates, his dismissal is due to the refusal of a minority of lifeguards to accept managerial authority and due to the exposure of serious deficiencies on the part of that minority, which were not addressed by the political management. According to them, there is a concern that his dismissal will severely damage the rescue services on the beaches and lead to a deterioration in the quality of service for the city's residents and visitors.
A bunch of sycophants. This is what the city looks like. Shame!
Only you understand "taken on leave" and "replaced" as leaving.. This article smells bad to me.
People within the municipality asked Yahav to return to being mayor. It is better to be old than young. This was the approach of not letting young people be mayor. And now what is happening? Everything is floating. Yahav knows that age is taking its toll. Therefore, he will probably finish his term. He will want to retire. He will let young people manage the city of Haifa. Many years before Yahav was in the municipality, he is a hardworking man who loves to work together. If that is what to do, age is taking its toll. He is over 80. His contribution to the city is huge. He has shaped Haifa over the years. A bridge between religions. Education is at the forefront of his mind. Plenty of health for everyone. The director of the beaches has a good word for him. A hardworking, intelligent man who wants to do what is right for the people who are taking care of the rescuers.
Yahav mostly ruined Haifa for 15 years, the gaps between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem have been widening. The city with the most negative migration. The suburbs benefited from the Haifa residents who left. It was always the other way around. The dream was to move to Haifa from the suburbs. How did neighborhoods like Hadar and Kiryat Haim fall into neglect and disintegration? The development in Haifa is perhaps 5-10 percent of what is happening in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, and even Petah Tikva and Netanya?
This is how we fall behind in all areas.
We hope that a new spirit will come in because the vacuum at the top of the municipality is very great and the existing management has already failed in the past to improve the situation, which is why two-thirds of the public voted for the cliché as a protest against the way the municipality functions.
Haha, that's part of the current municipality's dysfunction... There are too many people here that the mayor doesn't get along with. It seems like anyone who even slightly dares to think differently gets thrown out...