The Bears unveiled their newest proposal for a stadium to replace Soldier Field along Chicago’s lakefront today, with the support of the city’s mayor. But the governor of Illinois is not on board.
Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker said today that he doesn’t see why taxpayers should foot the bill for a significant portion of the project.
“I remain skeptical about this proposal, and I wonder whether it’s a good deal for the taxpayers,” Pritzker said, via the Chicago Tribune. “There are a lot of priorities that the state has, and I’m not sure that this is among the highest priorities for taxpayers.”
The Bears want taxpayers to pay about half of the $4.6 billion projected costs of the full project, which includes both the stadium itself and significant infrastructure upgrades around the stadium. Pritzker said the Chiefs’ recent failure to get taxpayers to pay for their stadium upgrades shows that the public thinks sports teams should pay for their own stadiums. Pritzker has also expressed skepticism of a proposal from the Chicago White Sox that would involve taxpayers contributing to the costs of a new ballpark.
“Owners of these private businesses need to put a lot more forward in order to have their dreams fulfilled and not just rely on the taxpayers of Illinois to have that happen for them,” Pritzker said.
The Bears say they want a final decision soon so construction can begin. It sounds like they have a lot of work to do to get their plan approved by the state.
