00:00The Chicago politicians involved in this, the legislators, seem to, that threat of them considering or reconsidering Chicago, seem to
00:11stall the process in a way that maybe wasn't expected.
00:14So how would you characterize those conversations between the city and the Bears?
00:18So everybody I talk to in the legislative realm, David, is basically saying it wasn't just a conversation.
00:25It was many conversations that this is absolutely real that these conversations started happening.
00:31And these legislative sources blame the Bears for reopening those conversations while they were working on this bill.
00:41They were they were in good faith, they say, working to get this pilot, this mega projects legislation done, because
00:47that's what they thought the Bears wanted.
00:48When they found out the Bears were having these conversations with the city, they're like, what the heck, guys?
00:53Like, you know, you're you're blowing our leverage here to get this done.
00:57And so, yeah, you're right. All of a sudden, some of these city lawmakers are saying it's a bluff.
01:01They're not going to Indiana. Chicago's still in the game. So we're not going to vote for this.
01:05Now, do they really believe that? I don't know. There's a political aspect of this, too.
01:11Sometimes people just want to cause trouble. And I think you've seen that with the Chicago Teachers Union, the most
01:16powerful political organization in Chicago.
01:18Sometimes they just want to cause trouble, be it for the governor.
01:23Sometimes they think it's good politics to say, why are we helping out a multibillion dollar organization when property taxpayers
01:29can't get relief and gas prices are up and energy prices are up?
01:35And by the way, that was a real political conundrum here that the Bears didn't quite understand, was that they
01:41thought we're the Bears.
01:42Everyone loves us. And so everyone's going to want to make sure we stay in Illinois.
01:47Poll after poll saw that, you know, the vast majority of people said not on on the taxpayer dime.
01:53And and and lawmakers kept telling me, look, constituents come up to me and say, help me with my gas
01:59prices, help me with my energy costs, help me with my rent, help me with my property tax payments.
02:04So I think the Bears miscalculated the political reality that they were going to have to do more work than
02:11they did to persuade people because because of this reality, because people are we're in a climate where people don't
02:18want their tax dollars given away to to big organizations.
02:21And because individual costs are so high right now. So politics plays a part in this policy plays a part
02:28in this.
02:28But those Bears conversations with the city of Chicago, again, multiple people in the governor's office, in Senator Cunningham's office,
02:36there were multiple conversations with the city of Chicago absolutely was real.
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