Pritzker: "I Don't Want" Bears to Leave Illinois
Gov. JB Pritzker and legislative leaders enter a news conference Monday morning in Springfield. (Photo: Chicago Tribune)
While Governor JB Pritzker and legislative leaders held their traditional post-session news conference Monday morning, some six hours after the General Assembly adjourned the spring session, Pritzker and Democratic lawmakers wanted to tout a balanced budget, with $800 million in tax increases and fee swaps to close the gap.
But before a packed room of reporters in the Governor’s ceremonial office on the second floor of the statehouse, many of the questions lobbed at Pritzker, House Speaker Chris Welch, and Senate President Don Harmon centered around the legislature’s failure to pass legislation aimed at keeping the Chicago Bears in Illinois and preventing the team from moving to Hammond, Indiana.
After revealing Saturday night the Senate Democratic caucus didn’t have the votes to pass a standalone property tax break for the team or the previously proposed “megaprojects” bill, Democrats crafted a new bill in the next 24 hours to allow both Arlington Heights and the city of Chicago to create a new publicly-owned stadium authority to compete for, and operate, a new Bears stadium.
“There was an enormous undercurrent in our caucus to not do anything,” Harmon said. “People are worried about neighbors being thrown off of food stamps, people not being able to keep up with inflation because their wages aren’t coming up, losing their health care because the hospitals and healthcare providers that serve them are being undercut by Washington. There was no appetite at all to provide public dollars to a $10 billion sports franchise.”
The stadium authority legislation passed the Senate after 3:30am Monday morning, but the House never took up the bill before it adjourned for the summer an hour later.
“It came over late, Welch said. “We didn’t have time to digest it. We didn’t have time to find out what other folks thought of it. We need to have some feedback from our members before asking them to vote for it on the floor, particularly in the wee morning hours.”
Welch did tell reporters shortly after adjournment Monday morning the chamber would discuss the bill and return to Springfield “sooner than later.”
Pritzker received many of the questions involving the Bears, including defending his role in passing final legislation. Many Democrats grumbled publicly and privately in recent days they didn’t believe Pritzker was doing enough to help secure a stadium deal.
“I don’t want the Bears to leave Illinois, and I’ve worked very hard to make sure that they stay,” Pritzker said. “My original focus had been keeping them in the city of Chicago. They weren’t able to find a property to make that happen for them in the city of Chicago.”
Pritzker said he wasn’t willing to make a bad deal to try to save the team.
“As much as an emotional connection as many of us have to the Bears and to keeping them in the city of Chicago or in the state of Illinois, [our] number one principle is we’re not going to put this on the taxpayers of the state of Illinois,” the governor said.
While the Bears have not set a firm deadline, there still seemed to be a belief the state can figure out a legislative package to keep the team in the state.
“There is still time to answer questions, refine concepts, build consensus, and continue discussions with the Bears and all the stakeholders involved” Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chicago), the House sponsor of the bill, said in a statement Monday. “The legislative pathway remains open.”
