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* Illinois Secretary of State and rumored candidate for Chicago mayor…
Beyoncé’s Chicago shows were explosive for our IL restaurants, hotels and hospitality industry. From a revenue (and cultural) standpoint, we need to bring more of these events/tours here. Also, a powerful reminder that we can’t allow the @ChicagoBears to leave the city.
— Alexi Giannoulias (@Giannoulias) May 19, 2025
Many of the replies are, um, non-supportive.
Your thoughts?
posted by Rich Miller
Monday, May 19, 25 @ 12:55 pm
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All I learned from Beyonce’s economic impact is that no Bears games frees up Soldier Field for more concerts.
Comment by Montrose Monday, May 19, 25 @ 1:00 pm
Wading into any Chicago issue on Twitter is a magnet for pessimistic and defeatist replies.
His point stands: Losing the Bears would be a major economic loss to the city. Mayor Johnson wears that.
Comment by NIU Grad Monday, May 19, 25 @ 1:05 pm
=Mayor Johnson wears that.=
Johnson is a failure as mayor but losing the bears has many names attached to it. When they bought that land, the deal was done.
Comment by JS Mill Monday, May 19, 25 @ 1:07 pm
Lol. Alexi, the Bears can build their own stadium in Arlington.
…Vote down, Chicago Bears
Make the McCaskeys pay all the way for a stadium…
Comment by hisgirlfriday Monday, May 19, 25 @ 1:08 pm
The mayor can save his reelection. All he had to do is convince Taylor Swift to do a Chicago residency and exclusively perform here. Our budget problems would be over!
Comment by DS Monday, May 19, 25 @ 1:08 pm
I think it would be great for Alexi to run mayor of Chicago. It’s been awhile since the city has had a good mayor.
And get real Arlington Heights has nothing for bears fans (hotels, bars, restaurants), traveling fans for their opponents, the folks that work for the networks covering the game at all. I guess the plan would be for everyone to stay in the city, then travel to Arlington for the game then back to the city? Making traffic worse and there’s only one metra line to the site…so yeah that would get old really quick.
Comment by Scoot Monday, May 19, 25 @ 1:09 pm
Beyonce isn’t asking for handouts from the city or state. Let the Bears leave, turn Soldier Field into dedicated concert/festival space.
Comment by Homebody Monday, May 19, 25 @ 1:14 pm
At least he’s not posting this on his official account.
Comment by Friendly Bob Adams Monday, May 19, 25 @ 1:18 pm
== And get real Arlington Heights has nothing for bears fans (hotels, bars, restaurants)==
You mean besides the entire village, including improved parking for tailgating, that they would be building next to the stadium? It would be a massive improvement in terms of nearby amenities vs what the current Solider Field has (or lacks)
Comment by fs Monday, May 19, 25 @ 1:25 pm
Lori Lightfoot started this all when she told the Bears to focus on the field and not on their stadium deal.
Brandon will wear the loss of the Bears as his legacy if they leave for Arlington Heights.
Alexi tweeting at 11:45 on a Sunday night about the Bears leaving is somehow a correlation as to why Beyonce will not come to Chicago. This is weird, but on brand for how he deals with his governance as vanity projects of self-promotion. I’m surprised he didn’t have a wet T-shirt on, as if he was coming from dancing and sweating at the Queen B show.
Comment by Frida's Boss Monday, May 19, 25 @ 1:26 pm
Consensus from academic studies is stadiums are bad investments. Alexi needs to study up before interjecting himself in the debate.
Comment by City Guy Monday, May 19, 25 @ 1:40 pm
If he hadn’t learned his lesson about running for something while having to give up what you have now he’d be bad mouthing Trump and announce he’s running for senate. Remember some of his stump speeches for Secretary of State were about gun control and other federal matters. Alexi as mayor would not be good, he’s about image and status, not governing.
Comment by BigLou Monday, May 19, 25 @ 1:40 pm
Alexi’s talking like he’s Secretary of Chicago.
Comment by City Zen Monday, May 19, 25 @ 1:40 pm
-traveling fans for their opponents-
AH is right near the toll way. O’Hare to AH is way easier to get to.
Comment by Steve Monday, May 19, 25 @ 1:43 pm
Beyonce must be more way popular than either the McCaskeys or the Reinsdorfs.
Comment by Leatherneck Monday, May 19, 25 @ 1:44 pm
- Losing the Bears would be a major economic loss to the city. -
Define major and please show your math.
This is exactly the type of deep policy initiative I would expect from Secretary Giannoulias.
Comment by Excitable Boy Monday, May 19, 25 @ 1:44 pm
Beefing up the train line from downtown to Arlington will help. But here’s a thing that I see: the Bears currently draw from the entire city/suburban/ collar county area for attendance. It’s not like all the attendance comes from people who lived in the loop. And if that’s true, then those same people will just drive in a different direction to get to the new destination: same people, roughly the same mileage, different travel pattern. Soldier Field will become available to other sports teams and events. I saw an architectural rendering of how to roof over the existing structure and it didn’t look all that bad. Maybe Sandberg can open up his wallet and help put that up, and now it’s an all-weather venue. But the city and state cannot give in to oligarchs threatening blackmail to get tax money funding their private ventures. This is not a job producing factory or useful housing. It’s a sports venue. Just a sports venue. Owned by billionaires.
Comment by Give Us Barrabbas Monday, May 19, 25 @ 1:45 pm
Dear Alexi,
If you had not heard, Arlington Heights is in Illinois.
You know, the STATE you were elected to serve.
Sincerely,
One of the Majority of the State of Illinois who Live Outside Chicago
Comment by JB13 Monday, May 19, 25 @ 1:46 pm
Elected to do DMV job and sticks his nose in everything else while our seniors can’t do “walk ins” anywhere and must make an appointment. Over it. Over him.
Comment by JR Monday, May 19, 25 @ 1:53 pm
=”we can’t allow the @ChicagoBears to leave the city”
Someone needs to remind Alexi that he is the SoS and, in his day job, should represent the entire state, including folks from Arlington Heights.
Comment by Donnie Elgin Monday, May 19, 25 @ 1:54 pm
“Brandon lost the Bears” is just something he’s gonna have to eat. It would be much easier for him to push back if he could say something like “I make no apologies for not handing tax dollars to a company worth billions — they can and should pay for their own stadium.” But, of course, he can’t say that because he very prominently supported handing more than $2 billion to the Bears at their press conference last spring. He owns the failure of that plan as much as Kevin Warren does.
Comment by Telly Monday, May 19, 25 @ 1:55 pm
lol a massive improvement?? So when the Bears build a new stadium in Chicago they will plan for more parking…add some amenities even though the city has them already.
Comment by Scoot Monday, May 19, 25 @ 1:55 pm
== So when the Bears build a new stadium in Chicago they will plan for more parking…add some amenities even though the city has them already==
And where, pray tell, are these new nearby amenities going to go next to Soldier Field? The pipe dream of covering the Metra tracks with a new neighborhood is absolutely not happening, unless you have a few to 10 billion more dollars to donate. The Friends of the park are going to be ok with a bunch of parking, bars, and restaurants East of lake shore? Ha (banned punctuation). I will grant you the benefit of the doubt and assume you’ve never been to a Bears game if you honestly believe the game day experience wouldn’t substantially improve at a proposed Bears village in Arlington Heights. Especially when it’s 20 degrees outside
Comment by fs Monday, May 19, 25 @ 2:09 pm
What JR said.
Alexi is trying too hard.
I don’t have a short memory.
Did the public forget about Broadway Bank when he runs for office?
He just doesn’t seem trustworthy to me.
Comment by Loop Lady Monday, May 19, 25 @ 2:09 pm
I am no fan of this Mayor, but I have always assumed it made the most economic sense for Papa Bear’s grandkids to have a stadium that they owned when they cashed out. And that was not going to happen on the Chicago lakefront, no matter who was Mayor.
At least the Mayor isn’t throwing good money after bad like Daley did. We still haven’t come close to paying off the debt on the rebuild of Soldier Field. An estimated $1.2B to be paid all told, for what, 20 additional seasons of bad football in the City limits?
Comment by Henry Francis Monday, May 19, 25 @ 2:10 pm
More people are going to lose their campaign for Mayor of Chicago than are going to win in it so, the Secretary could be working towards being one of those candidates.
Comment by Candy Dogood Monday, May 19, 25 @ 2:23 pm
Arlington Heights has a Metra train station that can deliver fans directly to the stadium site.
Comment by Gravitas Monday, May 19, 25 @ 2:27 pm
Daughter went to Sunday’s Beyonce concert, her second visit to Soldier Field after a Bears game last fall. Dad has made numerous trips to SF for events over the years and warned that the location is inconvenient, parking is worse (stay away from Waldron deck) and she quickly learned. On Sunday, she parked at a lot on Roosevelt Road. 20 minute walk, but easy-in, easy-out and manageable rate. Others were not so lucky, including the ones who paid usurious parking fees and were unaware of Chicago’s fickle weather, attending in shorts and tee-shirts.
Comment by jackmac Monday, May 19, 25 @ 2:34 pm
His last sentence smacks of him being a Bears fan.
His second sentence is a lot better thing to focus on.
Comment by btowntruth from forgottonia Monday, May 19, 25 @ 2:35 pm
There’s just zero evidence stadium subsidies generate a positive ROI for taxpayers. Most likely Arlington Heights Bears just become a Notre Dame home game for Chicago downtown…the visitors mostly stay and eat in Loop and Uber/train/limo to game for a few hours and then come back.
And just feels like “I’m voting for candidate X, because Mayor Y ‘lost’ the Bears!” is going to be a real small, real niche voter bloc vs every other campaign issue ahead.
Just wish Bears would hurry up & break ground and end this endless charade.
Comment by ChicagoBars Monday, May 19, 25 @ 2:52 pm
===going to be a real small, real niche voter bloc===
Maybe. But it’s part of a larger overall theme, even for people who don’t care about football.
Comment by Rich Miller Monday, May 19, 25 @ 2:53 pm
- But it’s part of a larger overall theme -
Especially since he went to bat for them and failed. He should have said no public money from the get go and left it at that.
Comment by Excitable Boy Monday, May 19, 25 @ 3:16 pm
Stop worrying about the Bears and get your own house in order.
Comment by Joe Schmoe Monday, May 19, 25 @ 3:22 pm
My observation is that the people most concerned with the Bears moving out of the city are people that don’t live in the city.
Comment by Friendly Bob Adams Monday, May 19, 25 @ 3:27 pm
Dear fs, yes I have been to several bears games and a couple college games at Soldier Field. Arlington isn’t Chicago with amenities not even close and never will be. I took a cab to the game and back. Not difficult at all…I mean we all know Arlington has plenty of public service right lol. Also, for several years I visited Arlington Park especially the Arlington Million. Had to drive there deal with traffic and park and walk to the track. Then wait in traffic to return home. No reason to stay in Arlington at all after the race.
Comment by Scoot Monday, May 19, 25 @ 3:58 pm
===No reason to stay in Arlington at all after the race===
Which is why the plan is to build an entire entertainment/hotel district.
Comment by Rich Miller Monday, May 19, 25 @ 4:04 pm
way to jump on the please stay Bears train when it already appears to have hopped on the Metra UP-NW line. I can’t take him seriously.
Comment by Amalia Monday, May 19, 25 @ 4:11 pm
Don’t understand the tweet.
Summer 2029. Beyonce summer concert tour.
Where would she rather perform?
(i) On the Lakefront, at Soldier Field
(ii) 25 miles away, at a domed Bears stadium
The Bears are about to build an entertainment complex that will perform below expectations.
Recommendation? ReUp at the existing Soldier Field, same terms, for another 25 years.
The 49ers don’t own their stadium, and just sold a piece of equity at an 8.5B valuation
Comment by The Farm Grad Monday, May 19, 25 @ 4:21 pm
And the sting of losing Henry Haupt and Vivian Anderson still lingers… oof.
Comment by Reformed Blonde Monday, May 19, 25 @ 4:32 pm
== Where would she rather perform? ==
Would either venue still sell out? If so, I doubt she has an opinion.
Comment by harp5339 Monday, May 19, 25 @ 4:44 pm
The entire hotel entertainment district is already in Chicago…whatever people think Arlington is never going to compare to Chicago in that category.
Comment by Scoot Monday, May 19, 25 @ 6:16 pm
Alexi for Mayor and also one more ask…please build the Sox a new stadium downtown. Then I’ll be a happy camper.
Comment by Scoot Monday, May 19, 25 @ 7:05 pm