Clark, Joost left their colleagues behind to eat at Ruth's Chris immediately after naming-rights vote

[Patricia M. McBride]

Our whole system is corrupt all the way to the local level. Don't you wish you knew someone who would take you out to Ruth Chris for dinner?

Council members skip out on meeting for steak dinner with Jaguars officials

Clark, Joost left their colleagues behind to eat at Ruth's Chris immediately after naming-rights vote

Posted: August 12, 2010 - 5:08pm

By Tia Mitchell

While their colleagues stayed behind to finish up roughly two more hours of work, two Jacksonville City Council members left Tuesday night’s meeting right after a vote to approve the stadium naming-rights deal to enjoy a steak dinner with Jaguars representatives.

Former Council President Richard Clark and current Vice President Stephen Joost left soon after the council voted 14-3 to approve the Jaguars’ agreement with EverBank, which allowed the team to keep the entire $16.6 million in revenue instead of sharing 25 percent, or about $4 million, with the city.

Clark and Joost voted in favor of the contract.

They ate dinner at Ruth's Chris steakhouse with lobbyist Paul Harden, team chief financial officer Bill Prescott and vice president Macky Weaver, and former player Tony Boselli. Each council member said he paid cash.

Clark and Joost said they were tired after a long workday and decided to leave early to grab a bite to eat with friends, the four men who had lobbied the council in favor of the EverBank deal.

Joost received advance permission to leave early; Clark did not, which is against council rules.

Councilwoman E. Denise Lee also left the meeting early. Council President Jack Webb said he gave her verbal permission to leave because she wasn’t feeling well.

She did not go to dinner at Ruth’s Chris.

For more, check back with Jacksonville.com and read Friday's Times-Union.