(haipo) On the occasion of the midterm, we met with Deputy Mayor and Engineering Portfolio Holder, Attorney Sarit Golan Steinberg, for a comprehensive conversation about her municipal activities, challenges, future plans, and political ambitions. Golan Steinberg, one of the most influential figures in the municipal system in recent years, paints a broad picture of Haifa today and the Haifa she wants to see in a decade. She speaks candidly about the achievements, the struggles, the big plans on her table, and where she sees herself in the next elections.
Golan Steinberg's political and professional background
Attorney Sarit Golan Steinberg, married and mother of three sons. For years, she ran a private law firm, where she also worked during periods when she served voluntarily as a council member. Her political career began in 2013, when she first ran alongside Yaakov Borovsky. In 2018, she ran as an independent faction and entered the council, and in that term she served as chairwoman of the Association of Cities for Environmental Protection in Haifa Bay. In the current term, she ran again independently, partnered with Mayor Yona Yahav, and was appointed Deputy Mayor and Chairwoman of the Local Planning and Building Committee.
Upon taking office, she closed her law firm and devoted all her time to the engineering department and municipal work. She knows the city in depth, its neighborhoods, its residents, and the complex challenges of a large metropolitan city. For her, Haifa is not only the third largest city in Israel, it is the leading city in the north, and therefore must provide high-level services to all the cities surrounding it.
Haifa as a leading metropolis in the north
Golan Steinberg emphasizes that the success of the cities surrounding Haifa is not a threat, but rather part of the regional success. From her perspective, Haifa should be a city that provides quality housing, good public transportation, leading educational institutions from birth to recruitment, jobs, cultural and entertainment centers, and domestic and foreign tourism infrastructure. She sees Haifa as a city that can attract a strong, young, and diverse population, and serve as an economic and social anchor for the entire northern region.
Major construction plans: tens of thousands of housing units
Golan currently has construction plans for tens of thousands of housing units all over the city on her desk. She estimates that about 50% of the plans will be ready for actual construction over the years. One of the main neighborhoods she is proud of is the Neot Navon neighborhood, located in the southern outskirts of Haifa, a new neighborhood that will begin to be populated in about a year and will add about 40,000 residents to Haifa, along with the new construction on the Freud slopes.
Some of the future residents in the Neot Navon neighborhood are homeowners' price winners, and Golan holds a Zoom meeting for them every six months in which she updates them on the neighborhood's progress. According to her, many of the participants are strong families from the center of the country, who want to move to Haifa thanks to the proximity to the train, the accessibility to transportation, and the opportunity to enjoy a large, progressive city. At the same time, it cannot be ignored that most homeowners' price winners have been waiting to receive the key to their new apartment for over a decade, and it took a long time before they started seeing construction in the neighborhood. And it's not just about the Neot Navon neighborhood. Many residents in the city who will eventually live in a new apartment after one building program or another have been waiting for many years for the work to begin, and currently the municipality is having difficulty significantly shortening the waiting time in Haifa.
A look at the 2028 elections: Golan announces her intentions
When I asked Golan where she saw herself in the next elections, Golan didn’t hesitate for a moment: She intends to run for mayor in 2028. According to her, Mayor Yona Yahav announced before the 2024 elections that this would be his last term, and the mayoral seat would be open to a new candidate. Golan believes with all her heart that she is the right person for the position. She notes that she has been part of the city council since 2013, and as she progresses, she learns more and proves that she has everything it takes to lead the city forward.
The struggle between construction and preservation: a distinct Haifa dilemma
In Haifa, there is a deep dilemma between residents who want to see new construction, development plans, cranes and new neighborhoods, and residents who prefer Haifa to remain a small, quiet city. Those opposed to construction claim that new projects harm the city's recent health and urban character, and often talk about the "pigs of the developers." Golan, for her part, says that Haifa's way to progress is through construction, but emphasizes that every neighborhood must undergo careful planning in advance.
Her role in the National Planning and Building Council
As the representative of the Haifa Municipality on the National Planning and Building Council, Golan operates on the seam line between the national concept and the local interests of the city's residents. She brings with her extensive experience as the chairwoman of the Association of Cities for Environmental Protection, and leads a firm line demanding the recovery of Haifa Bay and the evacuation of the petrochemical plants.
In the framework of the discussions in the National Council, it actively promotes TAMA 75, the strategic plan for the development of Haifa Bay, which includes the closure of the gas plants, the construction of tens of thousands of housing units, employment areas, and a large metropolitan park. At the same time, it opposes the construction of gas-based power plants or polluting infrastructure that will perpetuate the environmental damage in the area.
Urban Renewal: Shelter, Community, and the 15-Minute Neighborhood
Golan explains that the main focus of her work over the past two and a half years has been promoting urban renewal programs. According to her, urban renewal enables the creation of high-quality public space, mixed-use neighborhoods, and “15-minute” neighborhoods — where every essential service is within walking distance. She emphasizes that proper planning creates community, and that the goal is to allow for maximum interpersonal encounters between residents.
The advantage of urban renewal is the creation of broad benefits for each area: new road connections, improved public transportation, increased green spaces, expanded schools, and more. The price is an increase in construction height, but Golan says she is fighting to lower the multipliers and preserve Haifa's uniqueness.
Income-producing real estate: the key to a healthy urban economy
One of the main issues that Golan promotes is the development of income-generating real estate, not residential real estate, but employment and commercial areas that generate income for the city. According to her, a healthy city is one whose main income comes from business property taxes, while residential property taxes are loss-making. Haifa does have a lot of industrial and logistics space, but these do not generate high income. For example, you can receive much more property tax on vacant land if it is converted into modern employment space.
Domestic tourism: a significant economic engine
Golan notes that Haifa can attract large-scale domestic tourism, but currently, due to the situation, there is almost no foreign tourism, as in other cities. She is working to create new hotel infrastructure and stimulate the local economy through tourism. According to her, tourists who come to the city will eat in restaurants, use public transportation and contribute to local businesses.
Investing in cleaning, infrastructure and Hadar restoration
One of the main issues Golan promotes is improving urban cleanliness and restoring infrastructure. She notes the amazing work being led by the Hadar and Tzachi Terno communities, which aims to restore Sirkin Street and expand the change to Herzl and Halutz Streets. It is a long process that requires large budgets, but from her perspective, Hadar should be a central area of the city.
Public transportation: a change in perception
Golan emphasizes that the municipality submitted detailed comments to the Ministry of Transportation on the planning of public transportation. She turned to the general public to understand the real needs of both the general population in the city and students at the Technion, the university, and colleges. Her goal is to make residents understand that it is not worthwhile to own a second car, but this will only happen if there is good public transportation, including on Shabbat. According to her, the Carmelit must operate on Shabbat, despite its complexity, and so does the cable car. She says that she comes to work several times a week on the Carmelit, which has a station not far from the city hall, and she really likes the quiet time to herself during the trip. It is clear to her that a struggle is needed to change and open the Carmelit on Shabbat, but she claims that city residents should receive quality public transportation on Shabbat as well.
Future plans: roads, connections and new neighborhoods
In a month, we will mark 10 years since the major fire in Haifa, which damaged many neighborhoods and hundreds of residential buildings. One of the main conclusions after the fire was that there was a need for a dual exit from the trapped neighborhoods. Golan details a long list of transportation projects in order to be able to provide a response to residents in emergency situations: opening the road from the Kabbir neighborhood at the end of 2026, advancing a plan for the road between the Danya neighborhood and Tirat Carmel, planning a road from the Savyonei Danya neighborhood to Biram Street, and not to Ramat Alon, despite the existing road route, road connections from Givat Ha'Izim and Moiznitz, and more. According to her, the costs of the roads are very high and no city can afford them, and in the previous term, budgets that had already been raised were lost. But she is working to get the planning back on track.
A Personal View: Politics, Family, and the Personal Price
Golan speaks frankly about the personal cost of public service. According to her, politics is full of evil, lies, and meanness, and there are mediocre people in it who are looking for the next job. She herself came from a legal career out of a desire for change, so that young people could work and enjoy themselves in the city. She does not regret entering politics, but admits that her children are angry because they see her less because of the hard work.
Haifa on track to reach 380 residents
According to plans, by 2040 Haifa will have about 380,000 residents. Neot Navon alone will add about 40,000 residents, along with Mordot Freud. Golan notes that once a quarter she holds a Zoom with Mehir Lmishtakon winners and sees young people who left the center after the liberation and want to return to Haifa. The neighborhood will include two high schools, sports halls, a country club, kindergarten clusters and more.
Midterm summary of a busy term
Golan summarizes the last two and a half years as a period in which the municipality received a city "at the bottom of the abyss" and had to correct many deficiencies. According to her, today we are beginning to see the fruits of the joint work with Mayor Yona Yahav and the CEO, but there is still a lot of work ahead. She looks ahead with optimism.
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What about environmental quality?? Why is there no reference to the refineries and polluting industry in the Haifa Bay area? All that is said is worthless without clean air quality!!
Like every beginning politician...promises like sand...and nothing...
Enough with the cheap populism..
Come tell us what you plan to do in the eastern and western neighborhoods of Kiryat Haim.
Kiryat Shmuel
Neve David
Sprinzak etc.
Enough with the chair heating and working with your eyes open like Yahav... about the people, about the closing of factories, etc.
We have already stopped believing.
Our next mayor. A strong, smart woman, with a group of high-quality, educated people who love the city. I wish her and the residents of Haifa only success.
Tell me, all of you, did you know that Sarit Golan, who is seeking to run for city council again, filed an application for a building permit after 8 years of building violations in her home, while she is in a conflict of interest. She filed an application for a permit right before the previous elections because she feared that this would be revealed to the public. The young men before the elections actually filed an application in violation of the Planning and Building Law without the permitted/missing construction percentages. The application was approved only after the construction was completed, because the honest licensing inspector did not agree to advance the application, causing her construction file to be transferred to her friend/neighbor in the licensing department to advance the permit for her, which was eventually granted in violation of the law. It will likely be canceled soon following an administrative petition. Sarit, when you have butter on your head, don't go out in the sun. There is no chance that you will be elected. Of course, you will receive a reminder during your campaign, I promise!!
What about programs in the fields of culture and arts that are floundering?
Sarit talks a lot. The city is not what it used to be, green vegetation in the eyes. Today it is missing! Merrill invest in schools more than invest in places of recreation in nature.
Much is nothing more than a hollow placard in the framework of the 2028 elections. There is no vision here, no possibilities here for increasing sources of employment, no idea here where all those young and strong residents will come from and, most importantly, why they will come? There is no innovation here in any area. There are chewed-up slogans here, nonsense about tens of thousands of apartments that will be built, promises about roads that will never be built. The biggest disaster? There is no disconnection here from the term preservation. After all, it is preservation that has frozen Haifa, which remains as it was in the days of Hassan Shukri. There is no value and need for preservation. There is no history, importance or meaning to all these ancient ruins. We simply need to make a revolution and seek to bring attractive jobs. At the same time, prepare plans in case jobs are indeed added. All the empty talk about construction will only come to fruition if actual jobs are added and preservation is taken off the agenda.
Sarit Golan says all the right things like any polished politician. Yona Yahav too, more polished and more promising – and lo and behold, the roads are broken, the streets are dirty, the property taxes are sky high and the residents are fleeing. #JustSpeaking
Sarit Golan is the chairwoman of the subcommittee and is not the chairwoman of the Haifa local committee, a position held by Yona Yahav.
The Neot Peres neighborhood, when Haifa had 287 residents, was said to be a huge neighborhood that would add about 20 residents to Haifa. Then the Neot Peres neighborhood was built and, wonder of wonders, Haifa's population grew by only a few thousand residents to 295 despite Neot Peres. Despite more construction in Carmel on Tama 38.
The reason is really simple: lots of empty apartments. For investment, or for rent that are not rented or rented to students who are not residents of the city.
That's it, so yes, Neot Navon will be built. And once again we won't see an addition of "40 thousand residents" but 10 thousand and Haifa will celebrate reaching 310 thousand residents. Hooray!! The city has very difficult and complex structural problems that continue to be ignored with a host of slogans of evacuation, construction and new construction instead of addressing the root causes of the problems of Hadar, of the lower city, of Kiryat Eliezer. They continue to market slogans and towers.
After the article about Sarit Golan's construction violations, she's probably paying handsomely to try to produce a counter-blitz of PR articles about Vision and 2028. Come on, really.
Sarit Golan, I wish you success in your position. This success will be for the benefit of all of us residents of Haifa. If you run in 2028, only you will make the mistakes that Klish made. Work in harmony, frustrate the pigs, and give Haifa a boost for the coming years in starting construction, opening up the closed neighborhoods, arranging the cafes on the beach, and free parking for Haifa residents in Blue and White, like in Tel Aviv.
1. Appreciate Ms. Golan Steinberg for widening the upper part of Harofeh Street.
2. Before a disaster, it is imperative to address the exit to the enclosed neighborhood, which includes Lincoln, Doctor, Schechter and Mayblom streets.
You don't understand that there will be an exit – the entire Lincoln Slope neighborhood. True, thousands of cars will try to go up from it to Carmel via Harofeh Street and it will be hell like the Sea Road – but that doesn't interest the Haifa Municipality. Or the Ofer family that owns the land there. They will build thousands of apartments and Harofeh Street and Lincoln will go down to Freud Street and this will be another steep and bad neighborhood that is impossible to walk in.. flooded with private cars and traffic jams to the center of Horev all the way during rush hour.
Etzioni, the next mayor of Haifa, brings management experience from the JNF, the Ministries of Finance and Housing, and the Haifa Municipality.
Haifa needs a leader who can implement the urban vision, and only an Etzioni can take Haifa forward. Strengthen businesses, the relationship with government ministries, take care of property taxes and security fees and the Carmel Tunnels, and restore the city's infrastructure.