Jacksonville's highest-profile lobbyist

"That means I'm effective," he said matter-of-factly.

Networking

Harden, a lawyer, has been lobbying City Hall for the past 25 years. The names change, but he has found a way to strengthen his existing relationships and build new ones.

City Councilman Richard Clark, one of Harden's closest friends on the council, said that's how he outworks the competition.

Back on election night in 2007, Clark was making the rounds at various victory parties, hoping to introduce himself to newly elected council members before state Sunshine laws forbade them from meeting privately. He ran into Harden twice.

"I'm out there trying to build relationships with new guys and people I don't know," Clark said. "Paul was out there working."

Harden's extensive client list is a product of his successes over the years.

He was a lobbyist for Waste Management when it was awarded the Trail Ridge contract in 1991 and has had the company as a client ever since. This year, he again lobbied for - and won - a once-dead settlement deal to allow Waste Management to operate the landfill for another 26 years.

He has been the lobbyist for SMG ever since the city awarded the company a 1992 contract to operate the stadium, arena, baseball grounds and all other sports and entertainment facilities. That contract has been renewed four times since then, keeping SMG from the uncertainty of competitive bidding.

Harden is also the lobbyist for courthouse builder Turner Construction and has been the Jacksonville Jaguars jerseys voice in City Hall since their inception. Then there are the dozens of landowners and developers he has represented over the years on zoning issues, his main area of interest.

 

The Redskins open their first training camp under new head coach Mike Shanahan on July 29.

 

Williams was the fourth overall selection in the 2002 NFL Draft by Buffalo and struggled at times through four seasons at tackle with the Bills. He spent the 2006 season with the  new Jacksonville Jaguars jerseys.

 

The 30-year-old University of Texas product was out of the league for two seasons before resuming his career in 2009 with the Redskins and seemed to have found his niche moving to the interior of the offensive line during the eight games he played in a year ago.