Post by bearsinhouston on Feb 25, 2024 10:27:16 GMT -6
Tough place to be. If the taxing body in AH either has an axe to grand, a hand out, or just a negative attitude towards the Bears, you have the yin and yang of a great property in a great location with people that are either opposed to you or downright crooks that you have to deal with. Now, politicians are not forever, and at some point there will be different ones, but that will probably be years. And there is no reason to believe the new crop will be much different than the old crop.
The inverse is true in Chicago. You had a mayor that was not very amenable to the Bears. Now there is one that is. However, what is to say that it won't flip again. Possibly before the stadium can be built, even if an agreement to build is settled upon with the current mayor. Just because you have something on paper does not mean they can't other ways to screw with you. Politicians are very resourceful that way, even if they are not when it comes to crafting helpful legislation.
It is a mudpit. Hopefully Warren can navigate it. I am sure that whatever he experienced in MN, is nothing like what he is seeing in IL. Shining a light on it normally makes the rats retreat to some extent. But, do you want to deal with those guys on a daily basis? Fun times.
Tough place to be. If the taxing body in AH either has an axe to grand, a hand out, or just a negative attitude towards the Bears, you have the yin and yang of a great property in a great location with people that are either opposed to you or downright crooks that you have to deal with. Now, politicians are not forever, and at some point there will be different ones, but that will probably be years. And there is no reason to believe the new crop will be much different than the old crop.
The inverse is true in Chicago. You had a mayor that was not very amenable to the Bears. Now there is one that is. However, what is to say that it won't flip again. Possibly before the stadium can be built, even if an agreement to build is settled upon with the current mayor. Just because you have something on paper does not mean they can't other ways to screw with you. Politicians are very resourceful that way, even if they are not when it comes to crafting helpful legislation.
It is a mudpit. Hopefully Warren can navigate it. I am sure that whatever he experienced in MN, is nothing like what he is seeing in IL. Shining a light on it normally makes the rats retreat to some extent. But, do you want to deal with those guys on a daily basis? Fun times.
+1 It's a lot for the Bears to weigh. But I keep coming back to the thought that owning 300+ acres is better than not owning a stadium, in the City of Chicago. Even if they build that new downtown stadium in the old South parking lot, it will just be a modern version of what they've had to deal with at Soldier Field.
I just feel like there is so much money to be made with that 300 acre campus plan, that hey, pay the taxes and still make boatloads of money anyway. This could be an incredible money maker for the family, and also the taxing bodies. Everybody can win here. Looks like the Bears got "some" relief on the taxes. Accept that and get building the big moneymaker campus (hotels, restaurants, entertainment centers, gambling outlets... etc. etc etc. That has to be better than doing the "rental thing" by building another stadium you don't own in that south parking lot of Soldier Field. But maybe I'm totally missing something here (and admittedly I could be). I just don't think the Bears will walk away from the original campus plan in Arlington Heights.
Tough place to be. If the taxing body in AH either has an axe to grand, a hand out, or just a negative attitude towards the Bears, you have the yin and yang of a great property in a great location with people that are either opposed to you or downright crooks that you have to deal with. Now, politicians are not forever, and at some point there will be different ones, but that will probably be years. And there is no reason to believe the new crop will be much different than the old crop.
The inverse is true in Chicago. You had a mayor that was not very amenable to the Bears. Now there is one that is. However, what is to say that it won't flip again. Possibly before the stadium can be built, even if an agreement to build is settled upon with the current mayor. Just because you have something on paper does not mean they can't other ways to screw with you. Politicians are very resourceful that way, even if they are not when it comes to crafting helpful legislation.
It is a mudpit. Hopefully Warren can navigate it. I am sure that whatever he experienced in MN, is nothing like what he is seeing in IL. Shining a light on it normally makes the rats retreat to some extent. But, do you want to deal with those guys on a daily basis? Fun times.
+1 It's a lot for the Bears to weigh. But I keep coming back to the thought that owning 300+ acres is better than not owning a stadium, in the City of Chicago. Even if they build that new downtown stadium in the old South parking lot, it will just be a modern version of what they've had to deal with at Soldier Field.
I just feel like there is so much money to be made with that 300 acre campus plan, that hey, pay the taxes and still make boatloads of money anyway. This could be an incredible money maker for the family, and also the taxing bodies. Everybody can win here. Looks like the Bears got "some" relief on the taxes. Accept that and get building the big moneymaker campus (hotels, restaurants, entertainment centers, gambling outlets... etc. etc etc. That has to be better than doing the "rental thing" by building another stadium you don't own in that south parking lot of Soldier Field. But maybe I'm totally missing something here (and admittedly I could be). I just don't think the Bears will walk away from the original campus plan in Arlington Heights.
oh, I agree, but how many times in life have you seen a conclusion to an issue that makes no sense. It's one of those "don't know til it's done" deals. I know what they should do, but what actually happens may not have any correlation to that.
LINK Shady S**t Is Going On With Chicago Bears Stadium Talks
Does this surprise anyone?
Is anyone shocked that Cook County, long known for slimy public officials, graft, and corruption, is essentially trying to extort a "deep pocket" with a twisted variation of property tax laws?
These are big reasons why I will never live in Illinois again. Its also why you see other places, Vegas for instance, get major development projects done in half the time at half the cost of Cook County.
Is anyone shocked that Cook County, long known for slimy public officials, graft, and corruption, is essentially trying to extort a "deep pocket" with a twisted variation of property tax laws?
These are big reasons why I will never live in Illinois again. Its also why you see other places, Vegas for instance, get major development projects done in half the time at half the cost of Cook County.
I would not consider Vegas to be a city that is a pillar of honesty and clean government. All the gamblers and Casino owners are angels, I am sure.
Is anyone shocked that Cook County, long known for slimy public officials, graft, and corruption, is essentially trying to extort a "deep pocket" with a twisted variation of property tax laws?
These are big reasons why I will never live in Illinois again. Its also why you see other places, Vegas for instance, get major development projects done in half the time at half the cost of Cook County.
I would not consider Vegas to be a city that is a pillar of honesty and clean government. All the gamblers and Casino owners are angels, I am sure.
LOL yeah...Vegas was built by the mob...specifically mostly Chicago mob families...
Is anyone shocked that Cook County, long known for slimy public officials, graft, and corruption, is essentially trying to extort a "deep pocket" with a twisted variation of property tax laws?
These are big reasons why I will never live in Illinois again. Its also why you see other places, Vegas for instance, get major development projects done in half the time at half the cost of Cook County.
I would not consider Vegas to be a city that is a pillar of honesty and clean government. All the gamblers and Casino owners are angels, I am sure.
Compared to Cook County, I'll take Vegas every time.
Illinois & New Jersey routinely rank at the bottom for governmental red tape and corruption.
LOL yeah...Vegas was built by the mob...specifically mostly Chicago mob families...
Wasn't one of the more recent Vegas mayors a one-time big Mob lawyer?
Oscar Goodman. Goodman represented defendants accused of being some of the leading organized crime figures in Las Vegas, such as: Meyer Lansky, Nicky Scarfo, Herbert "Fat Herbie" Blitzstein, Phil Leonetti, former Stardust Casino boss Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal, and Jamiel "Jimmy" Chagra, a 1970s drug trafficker who was acquitted of ordering the murder of Federal Judge John H. Wood, Jr. One of his notorious clients was Chicago mobster Anthony "Tony the Ant" Spilotro, who was known to have a short and violent temper. In the semi-factual 1995 movie Casino, the character of Nicky Santoro was based on Spilotro, and was portrayed by actor Joe Pesci.
