To me there are 2 interesting aspects of Nir Barkat's announcement today about deciding to not run for re-election as Mayor of Jerusalem but to run on the Likud list for Knesset.
And they are:
1. that he has always refused a salary for public office and has taken just 1nis per year as mayor and will continue to do so when serving the public in national office. His decision to only take a salary of 1nis per year as mayor is well known, adding future offices to it is interesting. Barkat by law has to take a salary, which is why he takes 1nis, but he should also donate that 1nis to charity so he can really say he has taken nothing from the public for his service.
2. What happens next in Jerusalem? The recent fake fighting between Avigdor Lieberman and Aryeh Deri and other Haredi representatives put Moshe Leon's chances in question, even though they officially made up immediately after the "fight". Will a Haredi rep recapture the votes of the city residents? Will another secular representative take over where Barkat left off? The mayhem and fighting for the spot will surely keep things interesting for the foreseeable future.
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