| | | | |  | | By Shia Kapos | | Presented by |  | | | Happy Thursday, Illinois. Will NFL Draft Day be as dramatic as Wednesday's Bears news?
|  | TOP TALKER | | | | 
The Chicago Bears revealed their plan for a state-of-the-art enclosed stadium with new park space along the lakefront on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. | Rendering by Manica | The Chicago Bears rolled out their bold vision for a contemporary new stadium and reimagined lakefront Wednesday. Take a look here. Mayor Brandon Johnson enthusiastically supports the project, saying major selling points are job creation and a promise that there are “no new taxes on the residents of Chicago.” That doesn’t mean there won’t be a cost. Here are the numbers: The bill for the project could be $4.6 billion, which includes stadium and hotel costs of $3.2 billion and $1.4 billion for infrastructure work. Who pays: the Bears are pledging more than $2 billion, a commitment larger, they say, than any public-private project in the country. Who pays the rest: The Chicago hotel tax that goes into the Illinois Sports Facility Authority would fund the rest. The ISFA currently pays debts related to the current Bears and White Sox stadiums. The Bears are now saying they want to extend those debt payments to build the current stadium.
The Bears say the ISFA bonds, which also go to the White Sox, will generate $900 million. The numbers don’t include what the Sox may also need to build their proposed stadium at The 78. And there’s this: The Bears need an additional $300 million for infrastructure work that the Illinois General Assembly and governor would have to approve — and it doesn’t look like they’re interested. The reax: Gov. JB Pritzker and Illinois Senate President Don Harmon both said they are skeptical of the project. Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch left open a tiny window of opportunity. “The speaker is happy to continue engaging in conversations regarding the future of our Chicago teams and is encouraged by the private investments being proposed,” a spokeswoman said. “Environments can and do change in Springfield, but the speaker’s priority is to stay focused on passing a balanced budget and continue the positive outlook we saw announced by Moody’s yesterday.” Deja vu all over again: Friends of the Parks, the environmental group that put the brakes on filmmaker George Lucas’ museum plan in the same location, criticized the Bears effort, calling it "the 'Chicago Way.” In a statement, the group said, "Once again, Chicago taxpayers are being told what's good for them." Other state lawmaker reactions are mixed: Reps. Kelly Burke and Marcus Evans Jr. are supporting the plan and were listed among other backers. Other supporters took to social media to point to Minnesota now owning its stadium” free and clear,” via X. State Rep. Kam Buckner, the House assistant majority leader, attended Wednesday’s presentation. He praised the Bears’ $2 billion commitment, adding, “I also recognize the responsibility that comes with being good stewards of taxpayer dollars at a time when so many of our communities, who have waited for too long for their turn for investments, need it most. ... So, I look forward to ongoing discussions.” State Sen. Robert Peters, who sits on the public safety and infrastructure committee, also said he’s “skeptical” of the plan. And state Rep. Curtis Tarver, who was also at the roll-out, said: “They’ve put a lot of thought into it, and it seems at first glance to be an economic boon for the city. However, the devil is in the details. There are still quite a few questions about the revenue projections and benefits to the city and the state (not just as body politic but the actual people). What polling shows: “80 percent of Chicagoans support a Museum Campus location because they see the value of a domed stadium that could host major events, and 77 percent support the location choice because they want to keep the Chicago Bears in the city,” according to a survey by McGuire Research that included 500 registered voters living in Chicago. The margin of error is plus or minus 4 percentage points. RELATED Ringing endorsement of Bears plan raises the political stakes for Johnson: “It puts political pressure on Johnson to deliver votes in Springfield to help the Bears and could become a very public defeat if the stadium deal falls apart,” reports Crain’s Justin Laurence. Speaking of George Lucas: He and Mellody Hobson plan $33.5M condo that will be the highest priced in Chicago history, by the Tribune’s Bob Goldsborough
| | THE BUZZ | | FILLING THE VOIDS: Members of the Cook County Democratic Committee are meeting tonight to appoint a new Cook County clerk. The seat has been vacant since the recent death of Karen Yarbrough. The meeting is at 7 p.m. and the public can watch. Register here Yarbrough’s death also left a seat open on the Democratic State Central Committee that will be determined at a separate meeting by members of the 7th Congressional District. Congressman Danny Davis is the chair. Vying for that post are Ald. Emma Mitts, state Sen. Kimberly Lightford, Chicago Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin, state Sen. Mattie Hunter and applicant Mary Gardner, according to a person close to the committee. If you are Emma Mitts, Playbook would like to hear from you. Email skapos@politico.com
| | A message from CVS Health: CVS Health is reshaping the future of drug pricing, bringing greater transparency and simplicity to the system with our new CostVantage and TrueCost programs. Learn more. | | | | | WHERE'S JB | | At the University of Illinois Chicago at 2 p.m. to announce new action plan addressing homelessness.
| | WHERE's BRANDON | | No official public events.
| | Where's Toni | | | At the Broadview Legacy Apartments at 10:30 a.m. to mark the completion of Housing Forward’s new Permanent Supportive Housing development. Also attending Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch and Broadview Mayor Katrina Thompson, among others. Have a tip, suggestion, birthday, new job or (heaven forbid) a complaint? Email skapos@politico.com
| | | | THE GOLD STANDARD OF POLICY REPORTING & INTELLIGENCE: POLITICO has more than 500 journalists delivering unrivaled reporting and illuminating the policy and regulatory landscape for those who need to know what’s next. Throughout the election and the legislative and regulatory pushes that will follow, POLITICO Pro is indispensable to those who need to make informed decisions fast. The Pro platform dives deeper into critical and quickly evolving sectors and industries—finance, defense, technology, healthcare, energy—equipping policymakers and those who shape legislation and regulation with essential news and intelligence from the world’s best politics and policy journalists.
Our newsroom is deeper, more experienced, and better sourced than any other—with teams embedded in the world’s most active legislative and regulatory power centers. From Brussels to Washington, New York to London, Sacramento to Paris, we bring subscribers inside the conversations that determine policy outcomes and the future of industries, providing insight that cannot be found anywhere else. Get the premier news and policy intelligence service, SUBSCRIBE TO POLITICO PRO TODAY. | | | | | | | THE STATEWIDES | | — State Rep. Dan Ugaste’s bill would make it a felony for protesters to block major roads in Illinois: “The bill (HB 5819) comes on the heels of recent pro-Palestinian protests that blocked traffic on I-190 near Chicago O’Hare International Airport, causing many travelers to pull their luggage along the freeway to catch their flights.” Protesters are pushing back. WTTW’s Brandis Friedman and Emily Soto report. — Illinois residents prep for 'cicada-geddon' as double-brood invasion imminent, by Fox 32’s Emily Wahls — $5M road construction project beginning soon in Springfield, by the State Journal-Register’s Steven Spearie
| | BUSINESS OF POLITICS | | — Elk Grove Mayor Craig Johnson announces reelection bid, by the Daily Herald’s Christopher Placek — Kari Lake, the Republican Senate candidate in Arizona, will be fundraising in Illinois on Sunday. Details here — The Rev. Stephen Lee, an Illinois pastor who was indicted with former President Donald Trump for trying to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia, is speaking to Antioch Republicans on May 1. Deadline to RSVP is today: info@antiochrepublicans.com.
| | CHICAGO | | — April Perry's bid to be city's first female top federal prosecutor to end, Biden will tap her to be federal judge: “ For months, the effort to confirm Perry as Chicago’s new U.S. attorney was stalled by Sen. J.D. Vance, a Republican from Ohio,” by the Sun-Times’ Lynn Sweet and Jon Seidel. — Rainbow PUSH Coalition searching for new leader after CEO steps down just months after taking the job, by WTTW’s Brandis Friedman and Emily Soto — GOOD READ: Chefs Beverly Kim and Johnny Clark on the high price of living the dream: “Parachute, their beloved dining gem in Avondale, is dead. But the pioneering duo have set their sights on what comes next,” by WBEZ’s Jennifer Tanaka. — How teens are suing social media to try to change the cultural narrative around guns, by WTTW’s Joanna Hernandez
| | | | A message from CVS Health:   | | | | | COOK COUNTY AND COLLARS | | — Drug deaths down in DuPage County, coroner says, by the Daily Herald’s Susan Sarkauskas — Dolton, Mayor Tiffany Henyard, hit with another lawsuit from business owner, by the Daily Southtown’s Mike Nolan
| | DAY IN COURT | | — Family of Dexter Reed files federal civil rights lawsuit over his killing by Chicago police: “The lawsuit accuses Chicago police of promoting ‘brutally violent, militarized policing tactics,’” by the Sun-Times’ Mary Norkol, Andy Grimm and Tom Schuba. — Art Institute argues it legally owns watercolor: The museum says New York prosecutors' allegations that Egon Schiele’s “Russian War Prisoner” was looted by Nazis from the original owner’s heirs are “factually unsupported and wrong," reports the Sun-Times’ Emmanuel Camarillo. — Northwestern University hazing lawsuits on new track after claims school attorneys mishandled confidential information, by the Tribune’s Megan Crepeau
| | TAKING NAMES | | — Pat Brady, the political consultant and former Illinois Republican chair, has been appointed to Mercury Public Affairs’ advisory board. Mercury-Illinois is led by former Congresswoman Cheri Bustos, who is a partner at Mercury Public Affairs and co-chair of its Washington, D.C., office. Brady will work on business development and client service, with a focus on the Chicago and Washington markets, according to Mercury. — Chicago Sister Cities has new committee chairs. They are Power Energy Corp.’s Sam Odeh, representing the Amman, Jordan, Committee; Chicago Commission on Human Relations’ Kenneth Gunn, representing the Durban, South Africa, Social Services Subcommittee; Bernstein Wealth Management’s Franco La Marca and Teamsters Joint Council 25’s Pasquale Gianni both representing the Milan, Italy, Committee; and retired consultant Nancy Purcell representing the Prague, Czech Republic, Committee.
| | | | DON’T MISS POLITICO’S ENERGY SUMMIT: The future of energy faces a crossroads in 2024 as policymakers and industry leaders shape new rules, investments and technologies. Join POLITICO’s Energy Summit on June 5 as we convene top voices to examine the shifting global policy environment in a year of major elections in the U.S. and around the world. POLITICO will examine how governments are writing and rewriting new rules for the energy future and America’s own role as a major exporter. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | Reader Digest | | We asked what wild animal you’ve seen wandering on your street: Graham Grady: “A bodacious raccoon!” Charles Keller: “Coyote, of course. Squirrels, skunks, possums, raccoons, mice and rats.” Video! Joseph Kerins: “On my street in Logan Square, there are tons of geese.” Mark McCombs: “Coyotes in the southwest suburbs.” Mary Kay Minaghan: “Deer, literally running down the middle of the street and hanging in my yard.” Josh Mogerman: "A coyote with a broken leg semi-trotting down 31st Street in Bronzeville.” Ed Mazur: “A coyote along Walton Street from Michigan Avenue to Lake Shore Drive.” James Scalzitti: “In leafy Edgebrook, we have deer wandering about our street almost every night, a coyote occasionally, and we've noticed a neighborhood hawk.” NEXT QUESTION: In a sentence, what’s your take of the Bears’ new stadium plan?
| | KEEPING UP WITH THE DELEGATION | | — Congressman Jesus Chuy García led a letter rejecting attempts to increase pilot retirement age. More than 100 House Democrats signed on. The letter calls for rejecting any changes to language in the House-passed FAA bill, H.R. 3935 (118), that would raise the retirement age from 65 to 67, via POLITICO’s Morning Transportation newsletter.
| | THE NATIONAL TAKE | | — Two big court dates for Donald Trump, but he can attend only one, by POLITICO’s Kyle Cheney and Josh Gerstein — Inside the NYT, White House feud, by POLITICO’s Eli Stokols — Hamas releases video of Hersh Goldberg-Polin — hostage with Chicago roots, by The Associated Press’ Jack Jeffery and Josef Federman. — Josh Shapiro: ‘Unacceptable’ some universities can’t guarantee of student safety amid protests, by POLITICO’s Kierra Frazier — Supreme Court wrestles with fallout of Dobbs in arguments on emergency abortions, by POLITICO’s Alice Miranda Ollstein and Josh Gerstein … Gov. JB Pritzker, founder of Think Big America, released a statement, saying: “Today, the true anti-woman agenda of the far-right extremists was on display. At its core, the question in front of the U.S. Supreme Court is simple — do you believe women deserve life-saving care? For the extremists whose cruel abortion bans are driving women across the country seeking emergency care to be turned away at hospital doors, the answer is ‘no’.”
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CVS Health is reshaping the future of drug pricing at pharmacy counters across America. Learn more. | | | | | TRANSITIONS | | — Jake Girmscheid is now working with the Biden campaign as Nevada deputy director of trips and special projects. He was part of the Chicago mayor's advance team.
| | | IN MEMORIAM | | | — ‘She loved Bensenville’: Former village clerk Vera Johnson dies at 96, by the Daily Herald’s Rick West — Services for Paul Stephen Colgan will be private. Here’s his obit.
| | TRIVIA | | WEDNESDAY’s ANSWER: Congrats to Kevin Conlon for correctly answering that the Ruth M. Rothstein CORE Center is named after nationally known public-health activist Ruth M. Rothstein. TODAY’s QUESTION: Which city in Illinois is famous for having white squirrels?
| | HAPPY BIRTHDAY | | Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services Director Lizzy Whitehorn, City of Chicago policy analyst Nick Uniejewski, Cook County Forest Preserves Governmental Affairs Director Delio Calzolari, Blackthorne Capital Management CEO Peter Layton, criminal defense attorney Larry Beaumont, Injustice Watch Senior Reporter Alejandra Cancino, author and journalist Carol Felsenthal, UPSIDE Foods interim head of comms Melissa Musiker and Playbooker Bob Turnbull. -30- Correction: Wednesday’s Illinois Playbook mischaracterized a Lincoln Project ad. It features RFK Jr.’s family endorsing Joe Biden. | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Ottawa Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
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