The Mayor

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In David Osit’s documentary titled ‘The Mayor’, the mayor of Ramallah is a former engineer tasked with usual duties as any other mayor. He employs a practical approach in running the city affairs that range from keeping sewerage spills clean, paving sidewalks, building new fountain, approving city advertising campaigns, and making sure school buildings are constructed in a manner that enables children to play in well lit areas and access sunshine. The film is funny and shows how Musa Hadid alongside the citizens of Ramallah struggle to get past their current predicament. Even Musa’s most mundane responsibilities get affected by the presence of Israeli troops where government structures and raids cast a shadow on the city (Ide, 2) Palestine is in the middle of a crisis but Musa, the Mayor still strives to run the city in spite of the difficult circumstances. In my viewpoint, the most difficult aspect of Mayor Hadid’s service to the people of Ramallah is the time he found himself temporarily shut down at city hall. At the time, he witnessed as Israeli troops shooting at protesters. This is some of the most dramatic and defining moments in the documentary. For Musa, local governance is one of the most beautiful sectors of politics which is why he struggles to see violence being meted against the city of Ramallah.

The aspects of mayor’s job that seem similar to the leadership in my city have to do with the fact that Musa Hadid is a rather robust and hands-on public servant. Besides him being in high position of leadership, he is very involved in the city activities and is concerned about the citizens of Ramallah. Musa demonstrates positive leadership aspects such as responsibility and initiative in how he handles the city crisis. The audience sees him addressing the sewage spill problem. In essence, Musa has a genuine connection with the city of Ramallah and its people. This is similar to the leadership in my city as my current city mayor tends to be rather involved in the well fare of his citizens. They tend to take initiative to address the city problems as prompt as possible. Additionally, the current leadership encourages feedback from the city residents so as to improve in service delivery.

As regards the city branding, I would encourage Mayor of Ramallah for to allow branding. I commend Musa that he takes time to ponder about city branding. He is rather hands on and at one point, the audience watches him oversee Santas as they abseil during Christmas tree lighting sessions. In my viewpoint, it is good that Musa takes personal intersit in the city’s branding.

References

Ide, Wendy. “Mayor Review – An Inspiring Portrait Of A Palestinian City Official”. The Guardian, 2022, https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/jan/10/mayor-review-musa-hadid-ramallah.

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