Sen. Bill Cunningham said a PILOT bill is off the table, the Bears have had several previously undisclosed meetings with the city of Chicago, and Senate Dems want Chicago to be on an “equal plane” in competing for a new stadium.
With just 10 days before state lawmakers wrap up their spring session, there’s “substantial opposition” to megaprojects legislation that would ostensibly clear the path for the Chicago Bears to build a new domed stadium in Arlington Heights, a top negotiator told Capitol News Illinois.
Gov. JB Pritzker dismissed a last-ditch pitch from Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson to keep the Chicago Bears from leaving city limits, telling reporters Monday morning that the mayor had “no plan” to do so.
Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias said Tuesday that he’s “focused right now on finishing the session” but acknowledged that conversations about a widely-speculated 2027 campaign for Chicago mayor are just on the horizon.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson tested his clout in Springfield this week by – publicly and privately – urging state lawmakers to reject a megaprojects bill that would clear the way for the team to leave the city’s lakefront for a domed stadium in suburban Arlington Heights.
Rep. Kam Buckner is pushing back on Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s characterization of his megaprojects bill as a giveaway for large developers that would harm Chicago.
