Self-promotion campaign causes controversy

A municipal spokesman said that the hiring of the media company and the advisers had been done legally and saved considerable sums of money.

By MIRIAM BULWAR DAVID-HAY
Kfar Saba is planning to spend NIS 1.2 million on advertising and public relations this year, NIS 200,000 more than it spent two years ago, reports Yediot Hasharon. The enlarged public relations budget has angered some councilors and residents, who say it is unnecessary in any year and constitutes grandstanding in a municipal election year. According to the report, the city plans to spend more than NIS 500,000 on advertising in newspapers, about NIS 250,000 on the media company hired to market the city's image, and the rest on a freelance spokesperson and other expenses. Councilor Guy Ben Gal has written a letter of complaint to the Interior Ministry, saying that while most other cities in Israel employ a spokesperson, Kfar Saba has chosen to use three external consultants. He said that not only was this more expensive and less efficient, but the consultants had not been chosen in accordance with ministry regulations. He also said there was an overlap in the work of the consultants and the media marketing company. A municipal spokesman responded that the hiring of the media company and the advisers had been done legally and saved considerable sums of money, and there was no overlap in their roles. The spokesman said the results could be seen in "the amount and quality" of media exposure being obtained by the city. No response was reported from the Interior Ministry.