Just when Chicago Bears fans thought this new $5 billion stadium situation couldn't get any worse, it keeps bringing a domino effect of bad news after bad news.
Illinois made a change to the bill so that the Bears wouldn't have to pay property tax and let the stadium be publicly owned, leading to the Illinois Senate voting 37-17 in favor of House Bill 958. Unfortunately, when it was moved to the House, a vote was not made as they had adjourned until November, leaving Illinois in a bad position and jeopardizing the team's stay in the state.
Well, Arlington Heights mayor Jim Tinaglia was not pleased with what happened, as Paris Schutz reports that Tinaglia is a no-go on the Senate Bears legislation. The mayor made a short comment about the situation.
"This is clearly a fumble for the State of Illinois."
Illinois continues to "fumble" Bears' stadium situation
This is over three years now, and the state of Illinois has completely dropped the ball on getting something done to keep the stadium there. They waited until the last second to get everything passed, most likely trying to call the Bears' bluff on leaving, and it is backfiring on them in an epic way.
The Bears have announced that they are sticking to their late spring/early summer timeline on a decision on where to build the stadium between Arlington Heights, Illinois, and Hammond, Indiana. A special session could still be called during the summer for the House to put it to a vote, but if that doesn't happen, then Illinois is completely out on getting the stadium.
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It is certainly looking more and more like the Bears might be building their stadium in Indiana. If that happens, the Illinois government will have a lot to answer for, as its taxpayers will be furious.