Weekly Update 04

September 6, 2024

Hello, everyone.

Here is Council Update No. 4, which will focus this time on senior officials in the council. These are the people who matter to us in our daily lives. The important information I will present here has not been published on social media or in the press. This is very strange, because Abutbul is quick to publicize every playground he has supposedly “built.”

Upon Abutbul’s assumption of office, a number of managers resigned:

1. The council’s highly regarded security officer, Eli Atia, submitted his resignation in March immediately upon Abutbul’s assumption of office, and Sahar Lipshitz took his place. The appointment of Sahar Lipshitz is tainted by an alleged violation of the law, as Sahar Lipshitz served as Abutbul’s paid campaign manager, creating a direct political connection that prevents him from even applying for the position. However, he applied and was even elected thanks to a political/legal maneuver approved by Attorney Barzilai, the council’s legal advisor.

We have filed a complaint with the State Comptroller, who is currently reviewing the appointment and the improper procedure.

All the details regarding the issues with this appointment are in the attached video I produced. In case you missed it a month ago when the video was posted on social media.

1. The esteemed high school principal, Merav Shoshan-Kassler, has resigned. The search committee did not find a candidate, and her deputy, Merav Ein-Dor, was selected as acting principal for one year.

For those of you here who have children in high school or in schools in general—I recommend that you join the parent-teacher association and closely monitor what is happening at the school. Given Abutbul’s behavior during his previous term—there is a real concern that he will continue to interfere in the school’s management and will not allow principals and teachers to operate independently as they should. In my opinion, the politicization of education is a recipe for the destruction of education and harm to children.

1. The excellent Director of Operations, Ilan Sela, resigned in March before Abutbul took office. A replacement has since been selected and has already assumed the position—Shlomi Peretz, a resident of Binyamina and a lawyer by training.

We checked, and the process was proper; this director has no prohibited ties to the mayor. So let’s wish him success in his role, as the town suffers from litter in many areas and there are numerous complaints about the trash contractor.

1. The excellent community center director, Alon Shnir, who established the center as a community and cultural hub for the entire population—not just a venue for classes—announced at the beginning of July that he would be stepping down at the end of October.

The recruitment process to select his replacement has not yet begun. We are closely monitoring the situation to ensure the process is conducted properly.

The previous council engineer announced his resignation even before the local elections. On September 1, the new council engineer, architect Ruth Barens, a resident of Binyamina, took office (Ruth’s most recent position was as Northern District Planner at the Ministry of Housing).

Her selection was made by the council’s senior appointments committee. The process was conducted properly, and we wish Ruth success in her role while preserving the character of the town.

Recruiting senior staff is important, but it must be done properly and without exceeding budget constraints. Despite my repeated requests to the council treasurer, we have not yet received the staffing plan for 2023 compared to 2024—these figures are crucial for understanding how staff are recruited in accordance with approved budgets. Here too, this is information I am entitled to receive by law as a council member—but the treasurer is preventing this.

Yours sincerely

Limor Zar-Guttman

Here is the link to the video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x41VoMsdij4