Municipal elected officials and lawyers: "This is a world of sensitivities that not every lawyer knows"
Lawyers Uri Ohad and Itai Shonshein, partners in a Petah Tikva firm and city council members, explain in an interview how their dual experience helps municipalities. They discuss barriers in licensing and construction procedures stemming from a shortage of manpower, and describe a precedent-setting case where a council appointed a chairman to a subcommittee against the mayor's position. They also address the struggle over the future of water corporations.
Lawyers Uri Ohad and Itai Shonshein, partners in a law firm in Petah Tikva, have served for many years as volunteer city council members. In an interview, they explain how the combination of municipal law and public experience gives them a unique perspective when working with local authorities. They emphasize the importance of transparency in tenders and the need to provide service to residents even when they are not legally right. In the field of planning and construction, Shonshein points to a severe shortage of professional manpower as the main cause of licensing delays, not regulation. He links this to low salary conditions in the public sector and calls on mayors to pressure government ministries to improve conditions. Ohad describes a precedent-setting case where a council appointed a chairman to the planning and construction subcommittee from the opposition, against the mayor's position. They represent the council, and the issue is expected to reach the Supreme Court. Additionally, they deal with attempts to dismantle water corporations, noting that legislation by Energy Minister Eli Cohen has passed its first reading.