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Be'er Sheva's elections: an Oedipal story By Haaretz Staff The Be'er Sheva mayoral election campaign is an Oedipal story involving a deputy mayor who has decided to challenge the dominion of his political mentor. The "father" is Yaakov Terner, the incumbent mayor of Be'er Sheva, who is now completing his second term in office. The "son" is his deputy, Rubik Danilovich, who appears to be the favored candidate to replace him. Advertisement The relationship between Danilovich and Terner began 10 years ago, when Danilovich and four of his friends from the Labor Party asked Terner, a former police commissioner, to run for mayor of Be'er Sheva. After considerable efforts, Terner agreed, and gave Danilovich the third slot in his list. Danilovich was appointed deputy mayor and given the youth portfolio. The close cooperation between him and Terner continued into the 2003 municipal elections, when Danilovich founded a young residents' party, which won Terner's support and became the largest party on Be'er Sheva's city council. Danilovich was again appointed deputy mayor. Over the years Terner often referred to the younger man as his designated successor. At a Purim parade in Be'er Sheva a number of years ago, Danilovich dressed up as a pilot - an obvious that he would succeed Terner, who also served as director of the nearby Israel Air Force Museum. Prior to the upcoming elections next week, Terner was undecided about running for a third term. After much deliberation he threw his hat into the ring, despite pleas from his family, who prefers to see him spend the next few years at home with them. Danilovich, Terner's political protege, was certain that Terner was planning to step down. When the mayor announced his candidacy, Danilovich asked him to withdraw in a dignified way and not compete against him. Terner took Danilovich's decision to run very hard, claiming that his deputy did not even consult him. The mayor has even referred to Danilovich's move as personal betrayal and a stab in the back. "I treated him with love and deep appreciation," said Terner in a conversation with Haaretz. "I never believed he would one day rise up against me." Terner's pain is all the greater in light of the public opinion polls that predict he will be defeated by Danilovich. A survey by Prof. Mina Tzemach's Dahaf Institute found, for example, that 62 percent of Be'er Sheva voters support Danilovich, while only 20 percent favor Terner. Meir Babayoff, the Histadrut labor federation chairman for the Negev district, who has worked closely with Terner and Danilovich, talks about the close relationship shared by the two men. "Terner let Rubik cut the ribbon at many events in the city in recent years, but their warm, close relationship ended when their interests clashed," says Babayoff. "Terner should have retired in an honorable fashion. If Rubik had not run this time, he would have had no future in political life." Even so, when the two meet, they still exchange hugs and kisses, and seem to have difficulty denying their love for one another. Danilovich claims he not only consulted Terner about running for mayor, but also told his family about their talks. "After 10 years of being deputy mayor, I felt I was capable and suitable to run for mayor," says Danilovich. "I really wanted Yaakov Terner's blessing, and he knew my intentions in advance. I did not hide anything from him or his family members. Some of them even told me it was natural for me to run for mayor after their father's second term in office." Danilovich contends that he still views his connection with Terner as a father-son relationship: "I made a guiding rule for myself in these elections: to preserve his honor at any cost, even if it would hurt my candidacy for mayor of Be'er Sheva." Yossi Shelly, the third mayoral candidate in the Be'er Sheva race, hopes to benefit from the media coverage of the Terner-Danilovich conflict. "I think they are good people," he says, "but Terner has exhausted himself after a decade [in office] and Danilovich is simply too young and lacks practical experience." Bookmark to del.icio.us   4th quarter jitters Democrats have grown so used to losing, they feel any good news must have a catch. Designing an icon Ten years ago, two students asked Israeli Ruth Kedar to design their new company's logo.

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