Meir Turgeman takes action

It is worth noting that deputy mayor Meir Turgeman, who is not in charge of the city budget.

By PEGGY CIDOR
Meir Turgeman, one of the mayor’s deputies, wants to widen the scope of those eligible for the title of Yakir Yerushalayim (photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)
Meir Turgeman, one of the mayor’s deputies, wants to widen the scope of those eligible for the title of Yakir Yerushalayim
(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)
The expectation was that he would make an official announcement that he is running for mayor, but deputy mayor Meir Turgeman had something else to declare at his press conference at the Menachem Begin Heritage Center on Monday afternoon.
Turgeman spoke about the city budget and the urgent need to obtain more financial support from the government. Turgeman, a prominent member of the Likud Central Committee in Jerusalem backed by hundreds of members of the party, said it loud and clear, “I shall not let things get to the shameful position we were in last year, begging the government for special funds for the city.” He said that he was and still is against drastic measures, like the general strike Mayor Nir Barkat declared last year.
It is worth noting that Turgeman, who is not in charge of the city budget (he heads the local planning and construction committee) presented his case as though he were already in charge of the city. Asked if this was a backhanded way to hint at his candidacy, Turgeman answered that Jerusalem’s sake is his only concern. However, by adding that he is planning to lean on his excellent relations with Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon (who refuses to answer Barkat’s phone calls) to reach an agreement to meet the city’s financial needs, there is little doubt that Turgeman is spotlighting two points: 1) He, as opposed to Barkat, enjoys a strong status inside the Likud, and 2) At this point, a year before elections, he is ready to handle crucial matters – like the city budget – a statement that indicates more clearly than any official declaration what his aim is.
Because Jerusalem is the nation’s capital, more than NIS 700 m. of arnona (city taxes) are lost each year due to exemptions and reductions mandated by the national government (e.g. for large families). Accordingly, Turgeman argues, the city is entitled to additional funds to cover its needs. Essentially, this is the issue that Barkat and Kahlon quarreled about last year without reaching a satisfactory resolution. The government’s special grant to the city covers only that sum, so the city actually does not receive a single shekel for its real needs. Turgeman pledges to improve this situation significantly.