Pritzker Blasts Johnson Over Chicago Bears Stadium: 'He Has No Plan'
Gov. JB Pritzker accused Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson of having no plan to keep the Bears in the city, as the state legislature races to pass stadium legislation before session ends.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker delivered his sharpest criticism yet of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson on Monday, accusing the mayor of having no credible strategy to keep the Chicago Bears in the city.
The public clash comes as the state legislature enters its final two weeks with still no agreement on a megaprojects bill that would provide property tax breaks for a new Bears stadium in Arlington Heights.
The governor's case
Pritzker told reporters that Johnson's push to keep the Bears at Soldier Field is disconnected from reality.
"He has no plan. There's no plan," Pritzker said. "I know that the mayor has no plan. He has come up with no plan at all about how the Bears would end up in the city of Chicago. So, that's problematic. I'd love them to be in the city, but we're three years in now, and he still has no plan."
The governor favors moving forward with the Arlington Heights proposal. The Bears own the former racetrack property there. Team leadership has stated repeatedly that if they remain in Illinois, the new stadium will be built in Arlington Heights. If that deal falls through, the Bears will pursue a site in Hammond, Indiana.
The mayor's counter
Johnson's office pushed back immediately.
"The City's proposal remains the only plan centered on public ownership alongside a funding mechanism that does not burden property taxpayers while keeping the Bears in Chicago," the mayor's office said in a statement.
Johnson has insisted that a publicly owned stadium in Chicago is the right path forward. The city has not released detailed financial projections or a specific site plan for such a project.
A broader fight
Pritzker extended his criticism beyond the stadium dispute. He pointed to what he called a pattern of poor communication between Chicago's mayoral administration and Springfield.
"Again, we've seen almost nothing out of the mayoral administration here on that subject, or really any other. And so, to show up in May and have a bunch of demands seems like late in the game, and it's unfortunate that's happened most years," Pritzker said.
Suburbs weigh in
The Arlington Heights plan faces its own set of challenges. Local officials say the area needs major infrastructure upgrades to handle stadium traffic.
Mayors from Palatine, Rolling Meadows, and Schaumburg sent letters to Pritzker and leading state lawmakers asking for a role in the planning process.
"We're very concerned about, how is all this traffic when you're dealing with 60,000-70,000 people that are going to be either for a Bears game or a concert or some other event that's there? How are they going to get around?" said Schaumburg Mayor Tom Dailly.
Concerns center on road capacity and major interchange upgrades needed to serve games and events at the proposed site.
What happens next
The Bears are scheduled to provide the NFL with an update on their stadium plans at the league's annual owners' meeting on Tuesday in Orlando, Florida.
The state legislature's session ends in two weeks. Lawmakers must pass the megaprojects bill before adjourning if Arlington Heights is to move forward this year. Without it, the Bears' Indiana option becomes increasingly likely.
For Chicago residents, the outcome determines whether their team stays within city limits, moves to the northwest suburbs, or leaves the state entirely.