Created: 6/22/2009 11:22:14 PM 
JACKSONVILLE, FL -- Just days after arriving back home from the city of lights, incoming City Council President Richard Clark remains focused and excited about the relationships that were fostered.
Clark will become Jacksonville City Council President Wednesday at noon. He is very clear about three things:
He paid his own way to join the Jacksonville delegation in Paris last week, he believes handshakes and smiles are the way to attract businesses to relocate to the Cecil Commerce Center, and he will continue to make such trips in the future, calling them, "essential" to our economic future.
"We brought back more relationships than we ever thought we had," said Clark in his fourth floor Council office.
"The defense industry, the manufacturing industry, the service industry, ALL of them know on some level that Cecil exists."
Why travel all the way to Paris, where aviation and aerospace companies from across the globe gathered last week?
"We have to let 'em know that we're here. We have to let 'em know we're ready, we're willing, we're able. We have the work force," said Clark.
"We have to leave the Duval County lines. You've got to get outside of the city. A letter, a phone call is not the same thing as sitting across from the table of a decision-maker. Shaking his hand. Telling your story. Answering the questions that he has. And having him, hopefully come back here to Jacksonville and see it for himself."
Clark dismisses allegations that taxpayers picked up the tab for he and his wife to go to the City Of Lights.
"I paid for Richard Clark to be in Paris! I paid all of it. The Chamber of Commerce has offered a scholarship, if you will, of $3,000. I told them if they could work it out with the General Counsel's office I'd be happy, honored to take it," said Clark.
And Clark says more such trips in the future are essential to our local economy.
"I think it is one of our most important functions. I think the Mayor, myself, the Council President, it's part of our job," said Clark.
"It's the single most important thing we can do to bring businesses to Jacksonville!"
Clark says more than a dozen aviation and aerospace-related companies from across the globe expressed interest in learning more about the benefits of setting up shop at the Cecil Commerce Center.
And Clark says he is confident it is not a matter of "if," but "when" this Paris trip will pay off with new jobs and new businesses to fuel the Jacksonville economy.
