Duckworth, Salvi Spar On Issues, Agree On Bears In Arlington Heights

CHICAGO – With just more than a week remaining until Election Day, the two main candidates seeking to represent Illinois in the U.S. Senate don't agree on much when it comes to issues facing Illinois voters, but they came together when it comes to the state's NFL franchise.

Sen. Tammy Duckworth, who is seeking a second term in office, and Mundelein attorney Kathy Salvi participated in their only face-to-face debate on Thursday night. In the hour-long debate, co-sponsored by WTTW, the Sun-Times and WBEZ, the Democrat incumbent and her Republican challenger went back and forth on issues of gun violence, abortion, education funding, and other issues.

But when it comes to whether the Chicago Bears should move out of Soldier Field and to a new domed stadium in Arlington Heights, both Senate candidates agreed that the move would be good not only for the suburban region the Bears could call home but for Illinois as a whole.

"I do think they should go to Arlington Heights and build a new stadium," Duckworth said in response to a rapid-fire style question about the Bears. "More people would get to it, and I think there's a greater chance of having greater growth out there."

When asked if tax money should be used to fund the building of the new stadium —which could cost up to $2 billion — Duckworth said there should be, but with "tremendous strings" so that local taxpayers are compensated in the long run, the Senator said.

The Bears have said that they will not seek public funding to build the stadium itself, but would "need help" from taxpayers to help pay for a larger business and entertainment district that the team has proposed building on the 326-acre property of the former Arlington Park Racecourse. The Bears signed a $197.2 million purchase agreement in 2021 for the property to develop the stadium and entertainment district. At a meeting with local residents last month, Bears Chairman George McCaskey said that there is a long way to go and said there are a lot of bridges that need to be crossed before a deal is done."

On Thursday, the CEO of Churchill Downs, Inc., which currently owns the property, said the sale is on pace to be completed in the first quarter of 2023. From the start, the Bears have said that the sale of the property likely would not be completed until late 2022 or early 2023.

Asked whether she thinks the team should move to Arlington Heights, Salvi agreed with her political opponent about the new home. But, she also said that she appreciates the team's current home on the Lakefront, which city officials and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot have attempted to keep as an option for the Bears.

“I’d love to see the Chicago Bears in the Arlington Heights area, too, but don’t you love Soldier Field?," Salvi said in response to the question on Thursday night about the move. "It’s an iconic place, (with) a lot of history. But if they want to move to Arlington Heights, let’s keep the Bears here in Illinois, that’s for sure.”

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