Bet Shemesh - More of The Same?

A Guest Post by Shimon Biton

With  pivotal local elections here in Bet Shemesh fast approaching, which to all observers are critical to the future direction  of the city,  the general(non-charedi) camp needs to internalize the lessons of the past and engender not to repeat them. While  past campaigns  witnessed cut-throat rivalries between  various parties,ideologies and movements  (Likud,Mafdal,Labor,Chen etc.),it is clear to all who are concerned about the current direction of the city that we do not have the "luxury" of internal bickering need to unify around one agreed-upon candidate. Nonetheless, as we know, old habits and patterns die hard and back-room "dealmakers" with personal interests at heart are still living as in the past and threaten  the unity-in-the-ranks- "achdut ha-shurot" we so greatly require.  On the positive side, there are a cadre of younger political activists here in Bet Shemesh that are willing to stand up for what they believe in(as evidenced by the recent demonstrations and other events) that seem to be more "l'shem shamayim" without raw personal interests at play.

The key question that needs to be asked is, "What candidate will this group present as an alternate to the current mayor?". Is he/she a going to be a remnant of the corrupt, old-style politics, similar to that of Tamamy Hall which ran New York City during the 19th century as was notorious for its corruption and political patronage.

We have all been witness in the past to the "horse-trading" and "deal-making" at the expense of the stated desires of the mandates and votes that we gave them, their cowering to the powers that be and their ineffectiveness to stop the growing threats to our city. If our "agreed upon" candidate is "more of the same", a political insider who grew up in the culture we need to  uproot, than change will be hard to come by.

I am often told to tone down the volume of the rhetoric of my weekly column that I write in the interest of appeasement but I believe in the collective wisdom of the general population and its ability to learn from the past. The agents of change are present here in Bet Shemesh and all we need is to activate them intelligently and effectively learning from and avoiding the mistakes and excesses of the yesteryear.

As Bet Shemesh has grown in so many ways in recent years-so has its complexity and diversity. Its need for a leader who is cut of a different cloth and up to the task of leading and uniting the varied populations is critical to the health and welfare of the city and its inhabitants. Old-style politicians, whose personal interests dwarf the needs of the people they claim to represent need to be replaced. We deserve better.   

Shimon Biton is a well-known Bet Shemesh lawyer and columnist. He is considering running for mayor in next year's municipal elections.

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What do you think? Is Moshe Abutbol's re-election as mayor for a second term a done deal? Would it be good or bad for Bet Shemesh? Do you have a candidate you are familiar with that you think would do a good job under the special conditions of Bet Shemesh? Is there someone who can garner enough support in the upcoming elections?

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