Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoë arrives
for Tenth Anniversary of 'marvelous friendship
between San Francisco and Paris'

Mayor Bertrand Delanoë (2nd from left), John Buchanan Jr., President of the Board of Trustees of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco Dede Wilsey, Tom Horn and Charlotte Shultz lock step to the entrance of the Legion of Honor.
Photo(s) by Luke Thomas

By Pat Murphy

April 19, 2006, 6:30 p.m.

Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoë arrived in San Francisco today with a "wish to help this marvelous friendship between San Francisco and Paris," he said.

Delanoë visits the City for a three-day celebration of the Tenth Anniversary of Sister City relationship between the two cities.

Mayor Bertrand Delanoë

San Francisco Chief of Protocol Charlotte Schultz officially welcomed Delanoë at the Legion of Honor for a meeting with San Francisco-Paris Sister City Committee members chaired by Tom Horn.

The popular socialist mayor also will participate in working sessions with City agencies and private sector leaders on homelessness, discrimination, and digital arts.

A Digital Arts Sister City accord will be signed at 11:50 a.m. Thursday at City Hall on the Mayor's Rotunda Balcony.

That evening Mayors Bertrand Delanoë Gavin Newsom and will open the 49th Annual International Film Festival screening at the Castro Theatre, 429 Castro Street.

A toast was raised by the Legion board president as Delanoë toured the Legion of Honor.

"I am happy to have your visit here which is very exciting to us," said Dede Wilsey, president of the Board of Trustees of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.

"I'm looking forward to our visit to Paris where I hope to have a wonderful exhibition of this museum.

"I personally hope to do a great deal of shopping so I am very excited about this visit.

"And I hope you will come back and visit us very often and remember that now you have many new friends so you can come on a private visit whether you are Mayor of Paris or just a good friend of all of us.

"To our united friendship and much success with all these people here and to our Cities together - Cheers."

Such friendship should remain for a very long time, Delanoë returned the toast.

"Thank you very much. I will do as you say," Delanoë pledged.

"Really thank you and I wish to help this marvelous friendship between San Francisco and Paris.

"I am going to help this director

John E. Buchanan Jr, Director of San Francisco Fine Arts Museums (right)

"I hope we will be together for a very long time and please come and visit in Paris. I wait for you."

Schultz noted Wilsey shopping prowess.

"Mr. Mayor you can take Mrs. Wilsey shopping - she doesn't need a lot of help," recollected Schultz.

"She doesn't need me, she doesn't need me!" judged Delanoë.

"I think she's better!"

"Yeah, but you might have fun just watching it!" Schultz noted.

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