Eye on Illinois: Taxpayers must remind leaders stadium is a want, not a need

The more I see from the Bears, the less I like.

That’s not a football statement – October is for baseball – but a reaction to the slow trickle of details about the Lake Forest-based “Chicago” team’s plan to build a $5 billion stadium complex in Arlington Heights. The latest information came from the Village Board’s first public review of a proposed agreement between the team and community.

One caveat is taking the village at its word there’s no done deal, but a sincere commitment to take the process a step at a time. A second is trying to extrapolate broad concerns about public investment in projects designed to enrich private parties to only the aspects that might incorporate state or regional money.

If this becomes a matter solely for Arlington Heights residents or perhaps Cook County voters, the implications narrow dramatically. While it’s often true Chicago or Cook County efforts eventually apply statewide – moving violation cameras, soft drink or shopping bag taxes, etc. – it’s safe to say no other entity is going to turn an old racetrack into a 10-figure football stadium.

That said, the warning signs are clear. The Bears aren’t shy about seeking public-private partnerships for infrastructure. Description of the project as “mixed use transit oriented” implies expansion of Metra’s Union Pacific Northwest line and eventual work on Illinois 53. Those projects could have benefits beyond stadium traffic, but if they wouldn’t be needed except for the Bears – and if the team won’t relocate without commitments – then it’s hardly a “must do” situation for taxpayers.

For now, the village pledges to deploy economic studies to determine if revenue the project generates would support public investment, but the more entities that get involved the harder it’ll be to conduct a valid accounting showing everyone gets their money’s worth. What gets easier is downplaying individual or small group objections because it gets nearly impossible to demonstrate how much everyone actually antes up for something they may not want.

This project doesn’t have to happen. Don’t let anyone sell it as essential.

ON THIS DAY: It’s the 100th birthday of Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton, an Arkansas native who graduated from Chicago’s DuSable High School in 1942 and spent three years with the U.S. Army fighting World War II in Europe before a Hall of Fame basketball career that started with the Harlem Globetrotters and led to him becoming the first Black player to sign an NBA contract. While a Globetrotter, Clifton played first base for the Chicago American Giants. After retiring from basketball he signed with the Detroit Clowns. The New York Knicks still honor Clifton’s charity work and he’s also in Chicago’s 16-Inch Softball Hall of Fame. Clifton died in 1990.

• Scott T. Holland writes about state government issues for Shaw Media. Follow him on Twitter @sth749. He can be reached at sholland@shawmedia.com.