CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO/670 THE SCORE) -- The Chicago Bears, along with Churchill Downs Incorporated and the Village of Arlington Heights, officially announced Wednesday morning the purchase of the entire Arlington Park property. Now, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot is responding to the news.
670 The Score's Mike Mulligan and David Haugh spoke with the mayor Wednesday morning following the release of statements.
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Do things escalate now that the Bears have signed a purchase agreement for the Arlington Park property?
"Well look, I think it's an important thing for us to know and I appreciated the courteous call I got yesterday from George McCaskey, but to me thinking about Soldier Field is a much bigger conversation than merely the Chicago Bears," Lightfoot said. "I am the mayor of the city. I am a Bears fan of longstanding. I wanted to do everything I can to keep the Bears in Chicago, but just as this is a business decision for them, it's got to be a business decision for us.
"We are looking overall of what we can do to really maximize the value of this asset that we have on the lakefront. I am mindful of other restrictions about construction and so forth, but we are not getting the best that we can out of that venue - six months of the year or so it stands empty; and I have been to a lot of stadiums across the country and they have turned, even older stadiums, they have turned them into year round destinations."
Is it fair to wonder then, based on what you just said, that the change in tone in the way you are speaking about the possibility of the Bears leaving Chicago from last spring, kind of dismissing it as "noise" initially or as a "negotiating" ploy - now talking about the positives of Soldier Field and all that it has to offer; does that reflect almost an increased likelihood or an acceptance that this is probably going to happen?
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"No, I don't know that to be true one way or the other. Certainly that wasn't the conversation that I had, and obviously I don't want to go into all of the ins and the outs of what was intended to be a private conversation. They are buying an option and they bought this property. The statements I saw this morning suggest that there's a lot that needs to be done to close that deal, but quite apart from whatever happens with our discussions back and forth with the Bears, we've got an iconic asset on our lakefront, and we are not maximizing the opportunities for people that are coming to the Museum Campus, coming to Soldier Field. We've got to think bigger than just a season that spans from August to hopefully January."
When we think about what the Bears would want to stay, would you contemplate building a property downtown that would keep them here, on the lakefront campus, near McCormick Place? How grand could the design, or plan be? Or do you have to stay with what we have now with Soldier Field?
"Well, a couple thing in response to that question. Number one is they actually have to come to us and tell us what they want. We have been open to a conversation. They have not. And as I have mentioned last night, the door is open, but we have to sit down and have that discussion if they are serious about anything," Lightfoot said.
"They have a contract that runs to 2033. I am not about to let them out and certainly not on a 'thanks for the memories and goodbye.' If they are going to leave, they are going to have to pay us consistent with the contract, but we've got to have a discussion with them and they've got to put some cards on the table, which thus far they have not been willing to do.
"Fundamentally what I want you to know and really the taxpayers of the city, we are going to do a deal with whomever it is that is in the best interest of our taxpayers...you are talking about a $4 to $5 billion venture and if you are looking into the future, that price tag is only going to go up. So while we are absolutely willing to sit down and talk with them about what we can do in the contours of the existing contract to maximize their revenues, which of course is their primary interest, and I get that, we've got to do it in a way that is fiscally responsible," Lightfoot said.
"But like I said, I am looking at the larger question of, we've got this asset, we only use it for part of the year, what can we do, like other venues have done, even though they are cold weather venues, to make the stadium a year round destination point for tourists and residents; and really enhance the overall experience of people coming to this iconic venue."
I think there a lot of taxpayers nodding their heads still remembering the $437 million burden that the renovation in 2002 was for people in Chicago. I am fascinated by the fact that here we are on the morning of the Bears announcing that they have signed this purchase agreement with Arlington Heights and there is still a vague, lack of definition about what they exactly want from the City of Chicago or what they want out of Soldier Field, because it sounds like you are still unaware of what they specifically are asking for.
"Look we have attempted to understand what their interests are for months, and they have not shared that. We were supposed to meet yesterday, they cancelled the meeting. So it takes two to tango, as the expression goes. We are open to a conversation. I encouraged it again in my conversation with George McCaskey last night, but we can't operate in the dark. I don't have a magic 8-ball to find what the Bears want. Obviously, we have some sense of it, but you've got to get down to brass tax, you've got to put your cards on the table and figure out what's possible and what's not possible. I've had now two conversations in the last six months with George McCaskey and had the exactly same one: 'Come to us. Tell us what you are interested in. Let's see what we can get done and whether or not it makes sense for us and for you, but I can't negotiate by myself."
If the Bears opt not to play in Chicago, would you be open to inviting another team to play in Chicago? Could there be two teams in this city?
"I think we are way, way, way from that discussion. But you are obviously aware that there are other places in the country where there are multiple teams within the same geographic region. I did a quick check this morning. There are 11 NFL teams with the name of a city that actually play someplace else; but there are also lots of opportunities.
"Here's what I know, Soldier Field is a very sought after venue. If you saw the incredible response last weekend with the Shamrock series where we sold out. It was extraordinarily lucrative for the Park District and obviously for the city...The Park District is already filled up for 2022 and they are having to turn people away, so Soldier Field is something very desired and a sought after venue. I think the sky is the limit for what we can do there. We'd love to have the Bears be part of that future. But we are going to do, as I said, what is absolutely in the best interest of the taxpayers and there is more we can get from Soldier Field and the surrounding campuses to really maximize the fan experience," Lightfoot said.
"For example, it makes no sense to me that we've got these massive parking lots that are vacant for much of the year. I think, as I've said, as part of our recovery work coming out of the pandemic, this is a nature extension of that. We are going to be looking long and hard, looking at opportunities that other stadiums and venues across the country have done to maximize revenues, and we are going to be a leader in this. We are not going to be trailing back."
Mayor Lightfoot, I think it's interesting, you know, the Bears cancelling the meeting and not sounding like they are communicating that well with you as a partner; and I wonder if you think any of your comments back in the spring played any role in that and you initially chided them 'Beat the Packers' and "be relevant in October' and everything else is 'noise'? Did that play any role in getting this off on the wrong foot?
"No, I don't think so. I think there are long standing issues. Look they cut their deal 20 years ago, that they are unhappy with. That was a deal that they cut two mayors ago with Richard Daley. Business people look to the future when they are cutting a deal, particularly something like this. It's a deal that they feel clearly doesn't work for them and there is clearly long standing issues way before I came on the scene," Lightfoot said. "I can't do anything about the past. All I can do is about the present and the future. And we are more than willing to have a reasonable discussion with them, but they have got to want to come to the table in good faith and that's what I have repeatedly said to them way before the June announcement came out. We've been trying to have this discussion for quite a long time and as I've said, I can't do anything to change what their concerns and complaints are about a deal they struck 20+ years ago...They entered into it. They inked it. All I can do is look at the present and the future..."
Mayor Lightfoot there was a report that the Bears reached out, wanted a creation of a sportsbook near Soldier Field and they couldn't get that done and they were very frustrated about it. Could you tell us if that's one of the things that they are after? Is that one of the things that might keep them? I guess the report is that its $197 million that they have signed a purchase agreement for, so that's a ton of money. I don't know what keeps them.
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"I can't really comment on the sportsbook issue. Obviously, the sportsbook became legal in Illinois in 2019. I think the Cubs are really the furthest along in thinking about that. And you know, obviously, I want to be sure we are not doing anything that undercuts our casino. We are in the throws of looking at getting, I think, some really interesting responses back from our RFP and I am not going to agree to anything that cannibalizes revenues from our casino..." Lightfoot said.
"But look, we are reasonable people. We are willing to work with anybody that actually have to come to the table and have a decision."
We can't begin to imagine the immense challenge of your job, on a daily basis managing the City of Chicago and all the significant issues outside of where the Bears play football and sports in general, so I wonder in that context where would you place this dilemma, this issue somewhere between distraction and priority, because it is something we are talking about, but this is a sports-talk radio station?
"Well, I appreciate you actually asking that question, and I am sure that people outside of the sports world are like, look we've got a pandemic that is still killing people in our city every single day and that is my reality every day; we've got violence in our city that is unacceptably high, that's my reality. I want to make sure our kids are learning in a safe and nurturing environment. So I've got a lot of priorities. This is on the list. But is certainly is not at the top of the list given the urgent issues that the pandemic has created not only here but across the country and the world, so that is clearly my primary daily focus," Lightfoot said.
"But look, as I said to George McCaskey last night, we can walk and chew gum at the same time. We have been open. We have a team ready. They've got to actually come to the table in good faith. And if they do that, we'll figure out what the future holds, but we have to put everything in a proper context and we can't do anything without understanding what their asks are they haven't made them in a way frankly that I can react to. Come to the table, we are more than willing to have that discussion. We've got a team in place that is ready to go. They know exactly who that is. I think we can have productive conversations one way or the other, but as I said, I've got to focus on the truly life and death issues in this city."