Former minister, former champion and current MK Orna Barbivai announced her decision to run for mayor of Tel Aviv, the city that never stops. Barbivai, who was the first woman to receive the rank of major general and served as head of the IDF's human resources division, hopes to replicate her success and be elected the first woman of the first Hebrew city.
It will not be easy to beat the incumbent mayor, Ron Huldai, who has a fundamental stake in making Tel Aviv what it is, but Barbivai did well to announce her candidacy. She did well, and was not intimidated by the challenge, because it could spur more women to jump into the stormy waters of the municipal elections on October 31. We must fundamentally change women's representation in local authorities.
Israel has 258 municipalities, 80 of which are defined as cities, 122 as local councils, 54 as regional councils, and 2 as industrial local councils, but only 14 women head a local authority in Israel. The mayor of Haifa is Einat Kalish Rotem, the mayor of Netanya is Miriam Feirberg and the mayor of Beit Shemesh is Aliza Bloch. These are the biggest ones. The remaining 11 women control a local council or a small and medium-sized regional council.
Spur women to jump into the water // Photo: Moshe Ben Simhon
We have become accustomed, or rather discouraged, to the representation of women in national and local politics. For some reason, successful, smart and talented women do not even try to compete for these important roles. Positions that affect the daily lives of residents at the national level in the Knesset, and at the local level.
Being mayor means shaping the city; take care of the education of children from kindergarten to high school graduation; improve welfare programs; To take care of the construction plans, the beauty of the city, its business and the cultural and artistic life. A mayor can influence the lives of his residents more than any minister in Israel. Being mayor isn't just about collecting garbage and paying municipal taxes, it's a life mission that, if done well, enters the pages of history as a reality changer. Look at what Huldai did in Tel Aviv, what the late Teddy Kollek did to Jerusalem, what Miriam Feirberg did in Netanya, what cultural change Holon Mayor Moti Sasson brought about when he branded the city as the city of children and art, what a developmental leap Modiin made under Haim Bibas, and the transformation brought about by Herzliya Mayor Moshe Fadlon, whose city's education system is considered one of the best in the country.
For the transformation to happen
On International Women's Day, marked last March, the 14 women who head a local authority in Israel called on Israeli women to join them and lead a women's revolution in local authorities. Applications can be submitted until September 28. Elections to the municipalities are carried out in two ballots - one ballot for direct election to the head of the municipality, a second ballot for the list for the city council.
And in order for such a change to happen, the Interior Ministry, even though it is in the hands of Shas, a party that does not include women on its lists for the Knesset or local authorities, should launch a campaign encouraging women to join the race. The campaign should be in conjunction with the Local Government Centre. This call should also be joined by party leaders, who also fund candidates running under their ballots.
This is the time, this is the moment, we must have female power in the authorities.
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