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Pritzker vs Johnson
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker attacked Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson over the Chicago Bears’ stadium plans, saying Johnson has “no plan” to keep the team in the city.
““He has no plan. There's no plan,” Pritzker said.”
Pritzker told reporters, “He has no plan. There's no plan,” while arguing the mayor has not laid out how the Bears would remain in Chicago as lawmakers consider a megaprojects bill for a stadium in Arlington Heights.
Johnson’s office responded that “The City's proposal remains the only plan centered on public ownership alongside a funding mechanism that does not burden property taxpayers while keeping the Bears in Chicago.”
The dispute is playing out as the Bears plan to provide the NFL with an update on their future plans at the league's meeting on Tuesday in Orlando, with the legislature heading into the final two weeks of the spring session and still no deal on a bill to enable the team to move to Arlington Heights.
Two sites, Orlando meeting
Pritzker’s criticism came as the Bears weigh two stadium locations under consideration: Arlington Heights, Illinois, and Hammond, Indiana, with the Bears planning to reiterate to the other 31 teams that those are the only viable sites.
In Orlando for the NFL’s quarterly meeting Tuesday, the Bears are expected to decide between Arlington Heights and Hammond sometime this spring or summer, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
WGN-TV reported Pritzker said Johnson has shown up “late in the game” by arriving in May with demands, adding that “we are three years in now, and he still has no plan.”
The Chicago Sun-Times also reported that the Bears plan to reiterate their two-site position to the other 31 teams, citing a source, as Pritzker and state lawmakers focus on Arlington Heights and the megaprojects bill sits in the Illinois Senate after passing the House.
Megaprojects bill stakes
The stadium fight is tied to Illinois legislative timing, with WGN-TV saying state lawmakers have 13 days left in the legislative session to act on the megaprojects bill and FOX 32 Chicago reporting lawmakers have until the end of May to reach a decision.
“state lawmakers have 13 days left in this legislative session to act on it.”
Pritzker told reporters he expects the bill to pass both chambers and land on his desk before the Legislature adjourns its spring session May 31, while the Chicago Sun-Times reported the megaprojects bill is now before the Illinois Senate after passing the House.
The dispute also includes infrastructure concerns around the Arlington Heights property, with Schaumburg Mayor Tom Dailly warning, “We're very concerned about, how is all this traffic when you're dealing with 60,000-70,000 people.”
Across the border, Indiana lawmakers have already approved their own incentive package, and NBC 5 Chicago reported that in February Indiana lawmakers passed a bill offering up to $1 billion in incentives to build a new stadium in Hammond, financed by a 1% food and beverage tax surcharge in Lake and Porter counties.
