News this week that the Bears remain committed to building a new stadium in Hammond did not faze McCook Mayor Terrance Carr.
Earlier this year, he made a pitch to the Bears to build in McCook. He even hand-delivered a proposal to their Lake Forest headquarters in June.
Asked Friday what he thought of McCook not being mentioned by Bears officials this week, Carr said he’s not bothered.
“They’re going to do what they want to do,” Carr said Friday, Aug. 14.
“You put our deal, Arlington Heights’ deal, put them all on the table. It’s a business. They have to look at everything.”
The Bears, he said, “are worried the state’s not going to do anything and the governor is sleeping on the job.”
Carr urged Gov. JB Pritzker to take action and tell the Bears “hey, come down to Springfield. We want to do this.”
“Our governor should be as proactive as the Indiana governor,” Carr said. “This knee-jerk approach never works. If we lose the Bears to Indiana, it’s the fault of the governor’s office. Simple as that. It’s got nothing to do with McCook. We put a great proposal on the table. We don’t need the state.”
He has proposed the Bears foot the bill to build a new stadium, then give the domed 80,000-seat facility to McCook which would become the owner and end the Bears’ property tax liability.
An entertainment center, restaurants, and a hotel would be part of the plans for the southeast corner of 55th Street and East Avenue, a former quarry that has been filled.
“If I were the Chicago Bears right now, I’d do exactly what they’re doing—looking at Indiana and moving forward in Indiana,” Carr said. “I want the Bears in McCook. I want them to stay in Illinois. But as a business owner, they’re doing what I would do.”
Earlier this summer, he led a contingent of McCook officials to Lake Forest.
“We got a phone call a couple of weeks ago from someone—I don’t know who he works for, the Bears, their real estate division. He said, ‘We need to see what happens in Springfield,'” Carr said.
Carr urged the governor to call a special legislative session to weigh tax breaks and funding for a new Bears stadium, whether in McCook, Arlington Heights, or elsewhere in Illinois.
“The Bears want to pay a reasonable tax bill,” he said. “I don’t want Illinois to lose one of the biggest, best franchises.”
“There’s no common sense in this. Call a special session. Call for a vote. If it fails, we’re done. Let them move to Indiana. What do we need the drama for? Just call for a vote.”
He accused the state of “kicking the can down the road.”
If the Bears ignore his offer and don’t build in McCook, Carr said he’s okay with that. He’s eager to develop the 150 acres and said other options exist.
“Hawthorne is closing down. We’ll probably still do the entertainment center on one side, maybe a racino on the other or something else.”
“We’re still in it. They didn’t say we’re out of it.”