Moshe Lion’s pitch to Jerusalem’s chareidi voters touts his administrative experience and lengthy résumé in public service, as well as the backing he has gained from important Torah leaders. But the public has a long list of tough questions for the candidate. Is he up to the challenge?

Can an accountant be mayor?

Jerusalem needs a mayor who can manage a massive budget of NIS 9 billion. The city needs a professional who has experience managing budgets of this scope. The mayor of Jerusalem needs to have both managerial and political aspects.

What is the city’s main problem?

Let’s talk about the negative migration balance. Young people who grew up here are leaving in droves because there are no apartments. There is a severe housing shortage in the capital. In recent years, 80,000 young people — chareidi, national-religious, and secular — have moved out.

They left because of high housing prices.

Right. And in order to lower prices, a mayor needs to build! The housing crisis in Jerusalem is a serious problem for both chareidim and the general population. As mayor, I’ll open a fund to provide young Jerusalem couples interest-free loans of NIS 200,000 toward the purchase of a home. I’ll also advance urban renewal projects. There’s a need to act, to remove obstacles, cut red tape, and approve plans that have been stuck in the pipeline for years. In other words, to make city government more efficient.

Given that the prime minister is the one who’s been holding up construction in Jerusalem, what can the mayor do about the housing shortage?

The building freeze is not the only reason for the lack of new construction. Today we have an American president who favors building up Jerusalem. But we also need to ensure development of the necessary infrastructure — roads, public services, and everything else residents need. I have a detailed plan to increase the supply of office buildings and places of employment in the city. The time has come for a mayor who cares about these things.

Would you support separating certain Arab neighborhoods from Jerusalem to improve the demographic balance?

As a Jerusalem resident and former director-general of the Prime Minister’s Office, I am very familiar with all the security issues, specifically vis-?-vis Jerusalem, and with the demographic problem in the city.There are extensive land reserves available for construction that will enlarge and strengthen the city, and also provide a variety of housing solutions. I have extensive experience as head of the Jerusalem Development Authority, and I will do all in my power to turn my words into action.

What do you say about the push to hand parts of Jerusalem over to the Palestinian Authority?

There is no justification to divide Jerusalem. Israel has already felt the painful effects of unilateral moves — the most well-known example being the withdrawal from Gush Katif, which resulted in chaos in the area, and rockets launched toward Israelis. In order to preserve our sovereignty, we must invest heavily in infrastructure that has been lacking for decades. To this end, we will need massive funding from the government. Jerusalem is emblematic of the Jewish People and we won’t forgo an inch of it.

More families means more cars on already-congested roads. Will you support congestion charges, or limiting entry of nonresidents’ private vehicles into the city?

I don’t think it’s wise to charge a fee for every private vehicle from outside Jerusalem that enters the city. We have to make public transportation in the city more efficient, advance the construction of new light rail lines, and incentivize use of public transit. Congestion and infrequent bus service make the current situation unbearable. As mayor, I will put solutions on the ground. I’m also looking at encouraging the use of bicycles — even giving employers incentives to encourage employees to come to work by bike. It can be done — we just have to clearly define our goals.

During the tenure of outgoing mayor Nir Barkat, the openings of entertainment centers — and even the municipal parking lot — greatly eroded the status of Shabbos in the city. What’s your position?

What worked here for 70 years can work for another 70 years. It’s not easy to preserve the peace in Jerusalem, yet it is very easy to spark incitement, and that’s precisely why we need to preserve the religious status quo with sensitivity and determination. Jerusalem is the capital of the State of Israel and also the spiritual capital of the Jewish People. It has to be stated clearly: Jerusalem will never be Tel Aviv, just as Tel Aviv will never be Jerusalem.

How do you intend to balance the conflicting priorities of different streams in the city?

A complex city like Jerusalem needs a mayor who can bridge the differences between all groups. This race has a secular candidate, a chareidi candidate, and a candidate who can bridge the two camps. That’s the healthiest option for a city like Jerusalem. The chareidim, like all other sectors, need someone who will care for their needs, and that can only be accomplished by someone with the ability to act as a mediator. In the final analysis, I’m not only the candidate with the best chances of winning, I’m also the one with the best chances of managing the city properly.

What do you intend to do about the shortage of classrooms?

This problem also exists in the general sector, but among the chareidim the situation is intolerable. I will waste no time in adding extra classrooms, as well as extra hours for teachers and rebbeim. It’s also important to point out that some schools have empty classrooms, whereas others have a shortage of space, and I intend to alleviate that injustice.

Who can promise us that as mayor you’ll keep your campaign promises to the chareidi community?

No one. Let’s be frank: Jerusalem is a complex city, and its leader must be able to deal with complex issues. I believe I am the most suitable candidate, and I pray to HaKadosh Baruch Hu to succeed.

The leaders of the chareidi parties — Degel HaTorah, Agudas Yisrael, and Shas —asked me to run against Nir Barkat [in 2013], and that’s exactly what I did. No other candidate has garnered the trust of all members of the chareidi leadership like I have. In the last seven months, I’ve held meetings and discussions with the geonim Rav Chaim Kanievsky and Chacham Shalom Cohen, both of whom gave me their brachos and wished me much success.

As a religious Jew who was close to Maran Rav Ovadiah ztz”l, and to gedolei Torah, the poskim and chassidic rebbes in Eretz Yisrael, my candidacy reflected, then and now, the trust that the entire chareidi sector has in me.

Unlike other candidates, I see the chareidim as a natural part of Jerusalem — or more correctly, they are authentic Jerusalem. Jerusalem is all about tradition, and who if not the chareidim represent the true tradition as passed down from generation to generation?

Besides their unique needs, chareidi residents are also entitled to what any Jerusalem resident wants — for example, quality of life, sidewalks, roads, cleanliness. I intend to clean up the city, fix the sidewalks and the roads, improve public squares —to make the city beautiful. It’s possible!

How has your work for the municipality shaped your outlook?

My work in recent years as the person responsible for the community management department gave me a deep understanding into the needs of residents. The main thing I learned was the importance of the little things. I dealt extensively with budgeting for various needs that had not been given much of an emphasis.

The matter closest to my heart is cleanliness. Unfortunately, Jerusalem is ranked as the dirtiest city in Israel. Despite this image, I believe we can solve the problem; it’s simply a matter of priorities, and I aim to move this to the top. During my work, I saw that there are people in every neighborhood who are very concerned about cleanliness. In Romema there is a group of women residents who are willing to work to further this goal, whether through education or enforcement. The city can be cleaned up through joint efforts of residents and the municipality. It’s one of the first things I aim to do as soon as I am elected, b’ezrat Hashem.

(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 732)