Pritzker Throws Water on Bears Stadium Bill
Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields.
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Governor JB Pritzker isn’t outright saying he’s opposed to legislation to incentivize a move to the suburbs for the Chicago Bears, but it sure doesn’t look like he’s a champion of the idea.
Legislation filed this week is designed to help the Bears finance their proposed development in suburban Arlington Heights. It would freeze property tax assessments on the former Arlington International Racecourse property for up to 40 years. It would also wet flat payments for local government, known as Payments in Lieu of Taxes, or PILOT.
The plan, as introduced, requires the Bears to invest at least $500 million in converting the racetrack site to a stadium and mixed-use development.
Asked about the legislation at an unrelated news conference in Peoria Tuesday, Pritzker attempted to defer to the General Assembly.
“There are a lot of hoops to run through in the General Assembly for this to ever get to me,” Pritzker said, declining to say whether he supported or opposed the legislation as written. “I look forward to hearing more about it and seeing how it might evolve.”
When pressed, Pritzker said he has his doubts.
“I love the Bears, I do, but it is a private business,” Pritzker said. “I honestly do not think the public has an obligation to fund, in this major of way, a private business. I certainly don’t want to burden taxpayers with major support for private business.
Many Democrats we spoke with are already skeptical of the idea.
“Good luck finding the votes for this thing,” one Democratic lawmaker told me yesterday. “How do you get Chicago members to vote to effectively send the Bears to the suburbs? No way.”
Numerous other Democrats we’ve spoken to in recent weeks say there likely won’t be any serious move on the idea until the Chicago Mayor’s race is settled in early April, indicating the city will have a better bargaining position with the franchise if incumbent Mayor Lori Lightfoot is defeated.