Pritzker, Mayor Spar Over Bears Stadium

Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson turned the Chicago Bears’ stadium search into an open political fight this week, with each man arguing over whether the team still has a path to remain in the city. Pritzker said Monday that Johnson “has no plan” to keep the Bears in Chicago and said the mayor had arrived too late in Springfield with demands tied to the team’s future. (chicago.suntimes.com) Johnson answered Tuesday by defending the city’s proposal and taking a swipe at the governor’s wealth. The exchange came as the Bears briefed NFL owners in Orlando on two sites the team has identified as viable: Arlington Heights and Hammond, Indiana. ### What exactly did Pritzker say about Johnson’s approach? (cbsnews.com) Pritzker told reporters in Chicago on May 18 that Johnson had “no plan” for how the Bears would stay in the city. The governor said he would like the team to remain in Chicago, but added that “we are three years in now, and he still has no plan.” The governor also criticized Johnson’s timing in Springfield. Pritzker said the state budget process begins in November and is introduced in February, and he said the mayoral administration had shown up in May with “a bunch of demands” after doing little earlier in the session. (chicago.suntimes.com) ABC7 reported that Pritzker favors helping the Bears move to Arlington Heights rather than losing them to Hammond. NBC Chicago reported that he would not support a bill offering tax breaks for the team to move to the suburbs. ### What is Johnson’s answer to the “no plan” charge? (chicago.suntimes.com) Johnson’s office said 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.” That response pointed back to the city’s earlier push for a new domed stadium south of the current Soldier Field. (chicago.suntimes.com) Johnson also argued publicly that Springfield had ignored Chicago’s earlier work. In a May interview cited by NBC Chicago, he said, “We put forth a plan a couple of years ago. Unfortunately, Springfield did not care to look at that plan.” (abc7chicago.com) On Tuesday, Johnson sharpened his response on WVON radio. Fox 32 reported that he said, “I’m not a billionaire. I’m not the heir of billions of dollars. I’m a working-class brotha that was teaching middle school a handful of years ago,” while arguing against property-tax breaks for the Bears. ### Why are Arlington Heights and Hammond the focus now? The Bears told NFL owners on May 19 that Arlington Heights and Hammond are the only two viable sites under consideration for a new domed stadium. (abc7chicago.com) The team had already given the NFL Stadium Committee the same message in a virtual meeting about three weeks earlier, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Roger Goodell said after the Orlando meeting that the project would not be built in Chicago, NBC Chicago reported. (nbcchicago.com) ABC7 reported that the league’s chief spokesman told the station owners were growing impatient for the Bears to decide on a site. Kevin Warren has said the Bears expect to make a decision in “late spring, early summer,” according to multiple reports. (fox32chicago.com) That timeline has made the political fight in Illinois more immediate. ### What happened to Chicago’s own stadium proposal? Johnson and Bears President Kevin Warren unveiled a lakefront stadium concept two years ago that would have required $2.4 billion in public support, the Sun-Times reported. (cbsnews.com) Pritzker and top Democratic legislative leaders did not back that proposal, and it did not advance in Springfield. NBC Chicago separately reported that an earlier version of the city-backed concept carried a projected $4.7 billion cost, with taxpayers covering $1.5 billion. (nbcchicago.com) Johnson has continued to cite that plan as evidence that Chicago, unlike other bidders, has offered a defined public structure. (yahoo.com) ### What comes next in the stadium fight? Illinois lawmakers face a May 31 adjournment deadline for the spring legislative session as they continue discussing a “megaprojects” bill tied to Arlington Heights, ABC7 and the Chicago Tribune reported. At the same time, neighboring suburbs have raised concerns about roads and interchange upgrades that would be needed around the former racetrack property. (chicago.suntimes.com) The Bears’ next concrete step is their site decision, which team officials have said is expected in late spring or early summer. That decision will determine whether the franchise pursues Arlington Heights in Illinois or Hammond in Indiana after this week’s briefing to NFL owners in Orlando. (cbsnews.com) (abc7chicago.com) (nbcchicago.com)