Residents of Arlington Heights and nearby suburbs in Chicago are preparing for an important mayoral election today. The candidates in Arlington Heights are talking a lot about the Chicago Bears possibly moving to their community.
This election is important because Mayor Tom Hayes is retiring. The candidates running to take his place are Jon Ridler, who is the Executive Director of the Arlington Heights Chamber of Commerce, and two Village Trustees, Tom Schwingbeck and Jim Tinaglia.
A big topic in their campaigns is the idea of a new Chicago Bears stadium at the old Arlington International Racecourse site.
Recently, the Bears have started studies again to check how traffic and finances would be affected if they moved there, showing they are still interested in Arlington Heights after talking about building a stadium in downtown Chicago.
The Bears bought this property in 2023 for almost $200 million and are still considering Arlington Heights as a possible new home.
At a recent candidate forum at Village Hall, all three candidates—Ridler, Schwingbeck, and Tinaglia—said they support bringing the Bears to Arlington Heights. However, they all agreed that any deal should be good for the community.
Schwingbeck mentioned the importance of careful negotiations, saying, “We want the Bears, but it has to work for our residents.”
Tinaglia added that improvements to local roads and infrastructure are important, while Ridler talked about how this could help the economy grow.
Recently, the Arlington Heights Village Board agreed to move forward with their own plans to attract the Bears by working with a consultant to study the team’s upcoming plans.
