What to know about Mayor Johnson's Hail Mary to keep Bears in Chicago
Mayor Brandon Johnson said the Bears are "foolish" to leave the Chicago lakefront. He will head to Springfield for a last-minute play this week.
As the Bears decide where they'll build their next stadium, Chicago wants to stay in the mix. ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch Mayor Brandon Johnson will make his way to Springfield to talk taxes, budgets, and the Bears with state lawmakers.
Johnson said the Bears are "foolish" to leave the lakefront. The mayor said he has meetings with lawmakers on Wednesday and Thursday. SEE ALSO | Gov.
Pritzker says he wants Bears stadium deal done 'as fast as possible' as team meets with NFL As it stands, the Bears have long said the two locations they're considering for a new stadium are in Arlington Heights and Hammond, Indiana. "The infrastructure that they are even discussing in the suburbs, those infrastructure needs have been present on the lakefront for a very long time," Johnson said. "It's the top tourist destination anywhere in the state of Illinois.
It's to the economic advantage for all of Illinois to support the economic engine of the state of Illinois. " The "mega projects bill" that would pave the way for the Bears to build a new stadium in Arlington Heights is not on the Senate's agenda for consideration this week. RELATED | 'Megaprojects' bill passes Illinois House, Bears say changes needed for Arlington Heights stadium The "mega projects," or Payment in Lieu of Taxes, bill would freeze for decades the property tax bill for the Bears for a stadium proposed for the old Arlington Racetrack property that the team owns.