Mayor burst in and threatened councilwoman: "You are insolent and uneducated, we will get rid of you" | Watch
Ness Ziona Mayor Shmuel Boxer was recorded speaking violently and contemptuously toward opposition councilwoman Shiri Franchi Cohen during a city council meeting. Franchi Cohen filed a complaint against him, alleging bullying and humiliating behavior toward her and other women on the council. The mayor's office stated that the video was edited in a tendentious manner.
Ness Ziona Mayor Shmuel Boxer was recorded speaking violently and contemptuously toward opposition councilwoman Shiri Franchi Cohen during a city council meeting held yesterday (Tuesday). In the video, Boxer is heard telling Franchi Cohen: "You are insolent and uneducated, you stank up Ness Ziona. With God's help we will get rid of you." Franchi Cohen, a mother of two who works in high-tech, said she was shocked by the remarks and asked him to repeat his words. She noted that this is not the first time she and her faction members have encountered aggressive and bullying behavior from the mayor, and that he habitually grades women on the council and calls them humiliating names. Franchi Cohen filed a complaint with the city's public complaints commissioner regarding the bullying behavior. The mayor's office responded that the video is edited in a tendentious manner and does not present the exchanges from the councilwoman that preceded what is shown in the video, and that the mayor will continue to focus on managing the city.