This story was related to me by someone who had firsthand knowledge, and was then confirmed by someone else involved.

At yesterday's plenum meeting in City Hall, under discussion was the debate over continuing the construction of the shopping center at the edge of RBS B (Kanyon Rasido) that has currently been stopped by the protest of the kannoim.

As the meeting was beginning, the Haredi representatives received calls from Rav Kopshitz that they must vote to oppose the continuing of the construction.

Montag voted "no", as Rav Kopshitz directed him. Berger voted "yes" claiming he had previous agreements with Rav Rottenberg and others on the issue.

Abutbol, the main candidate for mayor at this time, claiming to be open to keeping the status quo, busy formulating agreements with the secular parties to show how open he is and not connected to the radical right, was in a quandary. Here he is, with Rav Kopshitz telling him to vote no, and he has always been loyal to Rav Kopshitz, but he has a problem with the agreements he came to with the secular members of his "Gush Chevrati" coalition supporting him for mayor. They want him to vote yes and would not look kindly upon his giving in to the kannoim on this.

What did Abutbol decide to do?

He could not come to a decision, so he hastily left the meeting, claiming he had another meeting to attend to. Others said wait a few minutes, we are bout to vote, but he said he had to go. He told the other members of Shas to abstain in the vote, and he left.

Is this who we want for mayor? is this the representative we can rely upon to keep the status quo, as promised? Is he the one who will not give control of the city to the kannoim in RBS B and the Kirya?

Rav Kopshitz is a wonderful rav. I know people who are close with him and they tell me he is straight, he is direct, he is honest, and he is a talmid chacham of the highest caliber. the problem is that he is the Eidah rav in Bet Shemesh. Do we want the Eidah Charedis running Bet Shemesh? We all eat their kashrus, because they have a great reputation on controlling their standards in kashrus. But most of us do not live our lives according to the hashkafa of the Eida Charedis.

If Abutbol is going to be controlled by Rav Kopshitz and the kannoim, how can he really be our candidate for mayor? And if he is going to be controlled by Rav Kopshitz and the kannoim, how quickly will his secular party counterparts drop out of his "Gush Chevrati" coalition, rendering him unelectable?

Support Shalom Lerner, in November, for mayor of Bet Shemesh. The only candidate who has opposed the kannoim and their attempt to control the city.