* Background is here if you need it. Daily Herald…
“I have not seen (PILOT) for a for-profit, and frankly, I’m not sure that’s a box we want to open,” said state Sen. Ann Gillespie, an Arlington Heights Democrat whose district includes the racetrack site. […]
State Rep. Mark Walker, a fellow Arlington Heights Democrat, said he was skeptical about the payments-in-lieu proposal, calling it a “long shot” in Springfield.
“This is an entirely new kind of deal, if it were to be done, and I don’t know what the likelihood is,” Walker said.
Both local legislators — as well as Republican state Rep. Tom Morrison of Palatine, whose district includes Arlington Park — said they personally haven’t been lobbied by the Bears on the proposal yet.
Nobody has talked to Rep. Morrison? Mrs. McCaskey has made five contributions to Morrison over the years. She’s given more actual money to others (including $10K to Jeanne Ives), but no other candidates have received more checks than him, although she has written 19 checks to Paul Caprio’s Family PAC.
- BlueBin - Thursday, Dec 15, 22 @ 9:49 am:
We have a saying here in Springfield: “Let the bears pay the bears tax. I pay the homer tax.”
- Thomas Paine - Thursday, Dec 15, 22 @ 9:52 am:
It’s a back door tax subsidy from every business and resident outside of Arlington Heights for the Chicago Bears.
Instead of having Arlington Heights, the only ones who stand to gain from this, foot the bill.
Instead of having the state give money directly to the Bears for a new stadium, Arlington Heights will take money from their schools and parks and police and firefighters, and the. Have the state backfill the money.
Am I missing something, or is that what this is?
Why can’t one of the wealthiest NFL franchises pay for their own stuff?
- Candy Dogood - Thursday, Dec 15, 22 @ 9:56 am:
As I opined yesterday, the Bears have the worst public relations in the NFL.
They seem to be communicating with the public only via press release and be doing nothing to engage stakeholders, which should have begun years ago.
Chicago is the 3rd largest city in the country. If the McCaskey’s want to abandon this market and territory over demands for handouts, let them. We have a very nice stadium to offer to another team that would be excited to play for a fanbase in a massive market like Chicago.
This lack of meaningful engagement suggests a kind of contempt for the public I’d expect from an Ives supporter. They clearly lucked into a billion dollar sports franchise that they have no idea how to run.
- Michelle Flaherty - Thursday, Dec 15, 22 @ 10:01 am:
Having had to give up making money printing the Proft fake news, the Daily Herald now turns itself toward supporting the next most unlikable entity in the area … the Bears ownership organization.
- P - Thursday, Dec 15, 22 @ 10:03 am:
Yes fun fact Virginia is an Opus Dei Catholic and they give to all kinds of right wingers over the years. The Bears organization is a clown show. Members of the contemporary ILGA do not want to sign on to new age experimental financing deals. Not a group of people inclined to serve as guinea pigs.
- Homebody - Thursday, Dec 15, 22 @ 10:03 am:
No handouts to billionaires, period. The Bears need the Chicago market more than the Chicago economy needs the Bears.
- TheInvisibleMan - Thursday, Dec 15, 22 @ 10:12 am:
–This is an entirely new kind of deal–
And there’s no reason at all to create such a beast, when there are plenty of current methods to be used instead.
There’s also no reason such a deal should be pushed as a preferred alternative when the financial details of how it would even work aren’t finalized yet.
The more I look at this, the worse it is looking. I get a sense it’s going to very quickly become a political 3rd rail.
- Google Is Your Friend - Thursday, Dec 15, 22 @ 10:13 am:
- Candy Dogood - Thursday, Dec 15, 22 @ 9:56 am:
What did you expect? This is the McCaskey family we’re talking about. Their last stadium shuffle was a disaster and it’s the largely the same cast and crew running things now.
- Amalia - Thursday, Dec 15, 22 @ 10:16 am:
This is a terrible time for them to be floating this idea. Why now? Because their proposal will get lost in the holiday shuffle? Because they know the legislature is going back into session in the new year? No, probably because they just came up with the idea and they are tossing it out there. without thinking that their greedy reputation is the only thing enhanced by this timing.
- Nuke The Whales - Thursday, Dec 15, 22 @ 10:17 am:
Professional sports teams by and large are able to shake down the general public and the government for funds for stadiums with threats to move a civic institution that provides jobs of OK quality. Los Angeles was really the only market that an NFL team could use as a threat. Los Angeles now has the Rams and the Chargers. The Bears are going to be the first team to learn professional sports teams do not have the leverage they once did. The San Antonio Bears just doesn’t have the same threat to it especially since a new NFL team would set up shop in the Chicagoland metro ASAP.
- Rabid - Thursday, Dec 15, 22 @ 10:21 am:
Somebody nobody sent
- Juice - Thursday, Dec 15, 22 @ 10:23 am:
Section 6 of Article IX of the Illinois Constitution.
The General Assembly by law may exempt from taxation only the property of the State, units of local government and school districts and property used exclusively for agricultural and horticultural societies, and for school, religious, cemetery and charitable purposes. The General Assembly by law may grant homestead exemptions or rent credits.
(Source: Illinois Constitution.)
- West Sider - Thursday, Dec 15, 22 @ 10:26 am:
====She’s given more actual money to others (including $10K to Jeanne Ives)==== So Virginia should go ask Ives.
- New Day - Thursday, Dec 15, 22 @ 10:46 am:
It’s hard enough to be a perennial loser. Now I find out Virginia McCaskey have 10k to Jeanne Ives of all people. Lord give my Bears love strength. Or maybe, just maybe, it’s time to sell the team (or ten years too late).
- froganon - Thursday, Dec 15, 22 @ 11:02 am:
Virginia could ask the Uihleins or Ken Griffin to fund it. They could negotiate naming rights and spruce up their reputations. The relocated tax revenue would give property tax relief to Arlington Heights property owners. It’s a Wonderful Christmas Fantasy. (banned laughing emojis)
- Paddyrollingstone - Thursday, Dec 15, 22 @ 11:07 am:
Good points, all. They literally have no leverage. None. Zero. The only thing they could possibly do is try and go to Northwest Indiana (although I think the Colts would try and stop that, even though its Bears territory). As far as I am concerned I’d rather seem them in Gary then Arlington Heights.
- Topper - Thursday, Dec 15, 22 @ 11:10 am:
This is Arlington Heights, a thriving, upper-middle class suburb, not an area struggling to attract investment and development. If the Bears come back with a big tract of land they want to develop in Harvey, a PILOT or TIF might make sense. It doesn’t here.
- JS Mill - Thursday, Dec 15, 22 @ 11:10 am:
=Am I missing something, or is that what this is?=
You have missed nothing. You nailed it.
=Why can’t one of the wealthiest NFL franchises pay for their own stuff?=
They can, they don’t want to. The last 20 plus years have seen a transition from capitalism to fairly pure socialism by the corporate sector. Use the public treasury to fund their expansions, cover insurance (basically subsidize their payroll, think Walmart) or cover their loses when they really mess up (Think AIG).
That is all this is, they cannot do otherwise since they are basically addicted to this process. I am hoping ur legislature is smarter.
=(including $10K to Jeanne Ives)=
Ives hates socialism, will she support this?
- Just Me 2 - Thursday, Dec 15, 22 @ 11:11 am:
How stupid are the Bears not to preview the plan with local legislators first? Hard no. Even if the plan is a legit plan, they are rolling it out horribly.
- Old time Independent - Thursday, Dec 15, 22 @ 11:21 am:
The Bears are one of the five most inept organizations in the NFL. They have continually benefited from the tax payers with great stadium deals. The product on the field is a embarrassment and that being nice. They hired a inexperienced GM who hired a inexperienced HC. The reason is they are both in the lower percentage of pay In all of football. They want want and want more but do nothing to put all that money back on the Field.
In closing what does everyone here feel about a deal that the money they want will be given to them the next time they win a Super Bowl? We can even be more fair and say when they play in the Super Bowl.
- TJ - Thursday, Dec 15, 22 @ 11:37 am:
DOA as anyone could clearly see the second it was announced. Chicago reps won’t make things easier for a team leaving, downstaters get easy points voting against billionaires getting tax incentives, and locals have very reasonable nimby arguments to oppose.
Pay entirely with your own dough, Virginia.
- Cool Papa Bell - Thursday, Dec 15, 22 @ 11:44 am:
From the LA Times on the building of SoFi (Rams/Chargers Stadium).
=The privately financed stadium is the centerpiece of a 298-acre development that’s three times the size of Disneyland.=
=The problem with L.A. was — unlike other cities around the country — there was no public money for a stadium nor any appetite to change that. Any venue would have to be paid for privately,=
Hopefully Illinois takes the way of LA here and there is no appetite for tax dollars to go this stadium.
Bears want it? Bears build it.
Stan did and now let Virginia and the rest of that odd lot figure it out.
- 48th Ward Heel - Thursday, Dec 15, 22 @ 12:08 pm:
This would be audacious in the best of times, but for a 3-10 Bears team that just failed to beat the ghost of Aaron Rodgers?? [Stone Cold voice] Don’t just get ‘em out of my town, get ‘em out of the NFL
- Stuck in Celliniland - Thursday, Dec 15, 22 @ 12:19 pm:
Let’s first fix state agency issues at DCFS, Corrections, etc.–including getting state agencies fully staffed all across the board (including constitutionals)–before even thinking about giving 1 penny of money to one of the worst owners in the history of professional sports.
- btowntruthfromforgottonia - Thursday, Dec 15, 22 @ 12:44 pm:
They should ask Aaron Rodgers for it.
He owns the Bears.
:-/
- Norseman - Thursday, Dec 15, 22 @ 12:53 pm:
Rich people get richer by blackmail to get the public to pay for things for them.
- OneMan - Thursday, Dec 15, 22 @ 12:55 pm:
The worse they could do is leave and the Jaguars would move here 2 days later. Worst case the NFL expands two teams and Chicago gets one.
The NFL would not leave the market open.
- Senator Clay Davis - Thursday, Dec 15, 22 @ 1:18 pm:
They should just tear down Soldier Field and give the Bears the right to build (and pay for) an entirely new dome.
- HappyToaster - Thursday, Dec 15, 22 @ 1:22 pm:
If only one of the McCaskey’s had had the foresight to marry a Walton heir.
- Stuck in Celliniland - Thursday, Dec 15, 22 @ 1:26 pm:
==ghost of Aaron Rodgers==
Let Rodgers foot the entire bill, not the state. Doesn’t he own the Bears anyway?
- Mister Everything - Thursday, Dec 15, 22 @ 4:19 pm:
“This lack of meaningful engagement suggests a kind of contempt for the public I’d expect from an Ives supporter. They clearly lucked into a billion dollar sports franchise that they have no idea how to run.”
On point.
- ChicagoBars - Thursday, Dec 15, 22 @ 4:46 pm:
A gentle reminder one of the Chicago Bears minority owners is #234 on the Forbes billionaire list. And the only thing deeper than Pat Ryan’s bank account is his Rolodex.
McCaskey family just needs to sell him some more equity.