The Economic Company for the Development of Kfar Saba has banned political advertising on billboards in the city - this is what Israel Hayom learned.
The matter became known after the advertising company "Maximedia" refused to display on the billboards political publications concerning the local elections that will be held at the end of October 2023, of the opposition member in the city council, Hadar Lavi.
According to the company, in the tender it signed in front of the economic company in the city, "there is a clause that prohibits publishing political advertising in the city".
Lavi, head of the "Kfar Saba Progressive" faction and who is expected to run for mayor, responded by sending a warning letter before suing the economic company, which is a wholly owned municipal subsidiary of the Kfar Saba municipality.
Hadar Lavi
"This is the essence of democracy", photo: Rami Zeranger
Only after the alert was sent did the economic company - of which the mayor, Rafi Sa'ar, is the chairman of the board - reply that it intends to draw up an "advertising procedure" that will also allow for "political advertisements", including the possibility of advertising for the candidate in the elections.
The economic company's attorney explained in the reply letter that "there is no dispute that the issue of the advertising packages, the advertising facilities and the advertising marketer requires a comprehensive solution - allowing advertising - subject to the provisions of Section 10 of the Election Law. Our recommendation was forwarded and accepted by the company."
In light of this, Lavi was asked to wait a few days, "at the end of which, most likely, she will be able to publish subject to the instructions of the procedure that will be drawn up."
In the warning, Lavi stated that this is an illegal ban - and certainly in an election year.
"There is no power of a commercial agreement between the advertising company and the economic company to limit in such a sharp and offensive way the freedom of political expression, certainly not the freedom of expression of political propaganda in an election year," it said.
Lavi also states in her letter that "the mayor and the officials on his behalf are, of course, in a conflict of interest when it comes to his authority to decide on the content of the political publication of a council member from the opposition. Would it be conceivable in a democratic state of law that the mayor would decide what political publications his opponents would publish?"
Mayor of Kfar Saba, Rafi Sa'ar.
"He has no consideration in the decision", photo: Ilan Spira
Lavi Mesra responded to "Israel Hayom": "The mayor engages in self-aggrandizement and attempts to stop his competitors from advertising outside the city. There is no doubt that this is a danger to freedom of expression, and I am glad that we stopped it. I call on all the candidates in the local authorities, despite the difficulty involved, to act In order to prevent mayors from using their power illegally, this is the essence of democracy."
The Economic Society: "The municipality of Kfar Saba and its leader have no part or consideration in the decision of which publications will be placed in the city, and the sole authority on the matter is in the hands of the Economic Society. As a matter of fact, the Economic Society did, until recently, prohibit political advertising of any kind. These days, during the election campaign Localism is at the door, the company will allow the ban on political advertising to be slightly weakened, and will formulate a binding procedure for the election period, which will allow political advertisements to be published on the city's advertising facilities as well."
Maximmedia's response: "We are subject to the agreements we sign with the authorities. Regarding the above case, the Kfar Saba municipality approved political publications in the city."
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