Aurora mayor says his suburb should be Bears’ new home because it has a casino and an airport and a mall
Aurora's back, everybody! The western Chicago suburb was one of several that threw its hat in the ring last year to be the new home of the Chicago Bears before team execs settled on the Chicago lakefront as their preferred site. Now that that effort has stalled, at least for the moment, it's apparently open... Aurora, a western Chicago suburb, has been suggested as the new home for the Chicago Bears due to its extensive amenities, including a casino, airport, and a mall. The city's mayor, Richard Irvin, and state senate representatives and local assessor took to the op-ed pages of the Chicago Tribune to explain their proposal. The stadium, which would cost around $2 billion, could be provided with property tax kickbacks for Aurora's casino and airport. However, the stadium's cost is dependent on commuters commuting from Aurora to Chicago by plane. This proposal is less serious than an attempt by Aurora officials to gain publicity for their local attractions.
Veröffentlicht : vor 10 Monaten durch in Travel
Aurora’s back, everybody! The western Chicago suburb was one of several that threw its hat in the ring last year to be the new home of the Chicago Bears before team execs settled on the Chicago lakefront as their preferred site. Now that that effort has stalled, at least for the moment, it’s apparently open season again, and Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin and the city’s state senate and state house reps and local assessor took to the op-ed pages of the Chicago Tribune yesterday to explain why Aurora is the one:
Tell us more! Preferably without more football metaphors!
Why is that?
Without football metaphors, please. I thought I was clear. But anyway, how does Aurora plan to build a domed stadium, magnificent or otherwise, which would come with a price tag of perhaps $2 billion?
That’s nice, but — wait, plane? There are people who commute from Aurora to Chicago by plane? How enormous is their carbon footprint?
Anyway, the stadium, who’s going to pay for the stadium?
Okay, you’re providing property tax kickbacks so that your casino won’t threaten to move out of town, that’s nice, but the stadium, who’s going to pay for the stadium?
That mall got tax increment financing from Aurora, too, by the way. Is that what you’re saying, Mayor Irvin, that you’re going to rebate property taxes from a Bears stadium and hope that’s enough to lure them to town?
This is, needless to say, less a serious stadium proposal than an attempt by Aurora officials to get some free publicity for their suburb and all of its, let’s call them “local attractions.” But it’s in team ownership’s interest to take it seriously, or at least pretend to, because even unserious proposals are useful in ginning up bidding wars among municipalities. Look, here’s Bears President Kevin Warren now!
And that’s a wrap! Aurora has just as much of a plan for luring the Bears as Greensboro, but expect to see it mentioned in every article now about where the Bears will end up after their lease on Soldier Field expires in 2033. Will the mayor of Naperville now up his op-ed game to get back in the discussion? You can feel the excitement, or maybe that’s just the roar of all the airplanes taking off for O’Hare, Aurora truly has it all going on!