The elections for the council of our city are at last at an end, and the new members have finally, this week, commenced convening. But this time, the matter was not terminated as simply as it used to be. For, ten days after the ballot boxes were opened the citizens of our city were still eagerly looking forward to see which side the balance would tip. And this is the matter: among our Muslim citizens there are two aristocratic families, whose genealogy goes back to the days of the establishment of Islam in the country, the families of Husaynī and Khālidī. And from olden times the competition among them is great, while the power of one of them is supreme, most important offices go to its sons, and it rules, while the other becomes weaker, until the balance is redressed in the opposite direction. And in our days now for many years the first family has the upper hand and the headship of the city council has been in the hand of its members almost from the day the municipality was established … But this time, when the time has come for the head of the council to leave his office, the second family gathered all its strength and put up for election one of its most distinguished elders, and the other family nominated as candidate the son of the outgoing mayor, and one of its distinguished men. After a severe campaign, which lasted for a month and a half, all the three were elected, and along with them also one Muslim and one of our nation [Jewish], who is the son of the permanent Jewish member of the council … and so there remained only the question of the nomination of the head of the council which by law is at the hand of the city governor … and so the list was sent to His Highness the Paşa, and all the great men of our city were looking forward to his decision. And after much contemplation he at last decided in favour of the Khālidī family, and as head of the council he appointed Yāsin Efendi al-Khālidī. (Haim Gerber [1985: 117] quoting David Yellin)