Arlington Heights Mayor-elect Jim Tinaglia is ready and willing to talk to both the Chicago Bears and Chicago White Sox about potential stadium project options.
Tinaglia, who won a three-way race to earn the top job at City Hall, said that the site of the former Arlington International Racecourse could fit stadiums for both teams, and that the idea of a joint project is one he’d be willing to listen to when he takes over as mayor.
“Will it happen? I don't know. I don't know how big of an appetite those two teams would have to work together like that,” he said. “But if it was possible, I would welcome an opportunity to talk about it for sure.”
Arlington Heights back in the mix for Bears stadium site, Kevin Warren says
Both the Bears and White Sox have run into different types of opposition as they seek financing for stadiums to be built in the city of Chicago. The White Sox have been aiming for public funds to help finance a stadium project in a development known as “The 78,” but have made little headway with hesitant lawmakers.
The White Sox still play in a stadium financed with public dollars in the early 1990s, and bonds on Rate Field have yet to be officially retired.
As for the Bears, they too are facing some opposition to financing for their stadium plans, both as part of a proposed development just south of the existing Soldier Field, or in constructing a stadium on the 326-acre site they purchased in Arlington Heights for nearly $200 million.
This week, Bears CEO Kevin Warren indicated that the team is still evaluating sites in both Chicago and Arlington Heights, and Tinaglia says that he’s willing to play ball if the deal makes sense for taxpayers and the community.
“We want them to come. We want it to be great. We want it to be wonderful,” he said. “It needs to be something that everybody's proud of and no one is paying any kind of unfair price for it.”
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said during a media availability that he would “welcome” the idea of the Bears staying in Chicago, but has said that the team’s push for public funding for the project would have to be closely scrutinized.
"We welcome the idea that the Bears would stay in the city of Chicago. I've always said that that would be my personal preference because I've known them always to be a Chicago-based team,” he said.
Tinaglia said he understood the historic connection between the Bears and Chicago, but that Arlington Heights could usher in a whole new era for the team.
“It’s a hard decision. It really is, but I think there's a great opportunity here. We're ready for them. I think they're ready for a change,” he said.