Jim Tinaglia, the mayor of Arlington Heights, has been working tirelessly with his supporters and allies in Springfield to help the Chicago Bears pass the necessary legislation to begin construction at Arlington Park. So when the bill fell short in the House at the May 31st deadline, it must’ve felt like a crushing failure. Not long after that, the Bears Board of Directors voted to shift the focus to Hammond, Indiana. That town’s mayor, Thomas McDermott, pretty much declared victory in a recent speech. One would think Tinaglia would be angry that the Bears have given up.
He’s not.
He admitted on 104.3 The Score in a recent interview that he doesn’t blame the Bears at all for the decision. They had no choice. All of his criticism was leveled at the Illinois government for not finding the urgency to get a deal done. A deal that was honestly better than most states usually get in these types of negotiations. Governor J.B. Pritzker’s lack of direct leadership and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s constant interference put the Bears in an impossible situation.
Either back down and wait for a change that probably won’t be coming, or follow through on their threat to leave the state. Tinaglia is not surprised they chose the latter.
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The Chicago Bears don’t have any alternatives.
Right now, their two options are to wait for next spring or pick a spot in Hammond and start building. The Illinois government won’t call a special session in the summer to address this issue, and it’s unlikely the problem will be solved in the fall session either. It wasn’t even discussed at that time last year. So you start to see the team’s situation. If they wait until spring, it will be a crystal clear confirmation that all of the Indiana antics up to this point were nothing but an elaborate bluff. It would’ve been political suicide.
As inept as Kevin Warren has been through much of this saga for the Bears, he at least understood the reality this time. You can’t back down from a bluff. You play the hand you’re dealt, and in this case, it’s following through on the threat to move. Tinaglia isn’t happy about it, but he understands it. He likely would’ve done the same in their position. This failure falls at the feet of Springfield, who had a good deal in their hands and let it slip away because of greed and disunity.
Everything now hinges on how serious the Bears are.
Remember, Warren stated he wanted shovels in the ground by last year. It didn’t happen. That should mean he and the McCaskeys are anxious to get things going. Rumors abound that they’re already communicating with potential contractors and have narrowed the site choices down to two. It may have been a bluff at first, but not anymore. This is serious. Based on the timelines involved, the point of no return for Illinois will likely be the end of November. That will be when the state’s fall legislative session ends.
If the government doesn’t accept working something out, it’s a safe bet the Chicago Bears will get shovels in the ground by Christmas. Don’t forget they play the Green Bay Packers that day. Knowing how Warren operates, he’ll make the announcement beforehand. Some Illinois officials are already working to draft a bill they believe can pass. Whether there is enough time to navigate the quagmire of Springfield is the big question. The Bears don’t seem interested in waiting much longer.
