Chicago Mayor Richard Daley yesterday "offered to put
up city money to remodel Comiskey Park to accommodate the
Bears," according to Fran Spielman of the CHICAGO SUN-TIMES.
Daley: "It's very logical. Think about it. Taxpayers paid
for that stadium. Why can't a football team play there?
Everyone would benefit." Daley said that "he's so serious
about overhauling Comiskey" that he's come up with an
alternative use for Soldier Field as "a permanent site for
city festivals." In a statement, Bears VP/Operations Ted
Phillips said that the concept of a dual purpose Comiskey is
one "that has never been discussed with the Bears."
Phillips: "While the Bears continue to prefer a stadium in
the city, it has been shown over the years that dual purpose
stadiums cannot meet present needs of an NFL team or its
fans" (SUN-TIMES, 10/14). In Chicago, Martin & Graeme write
that a stadium alternative "for the Bears could be necessary
in light of" the Elk Grove Village Board's decision Tuesday
to hold a referendum on a possible new stadium. The Bears
have been scouting Elk Groove as a possible site and Elk
Grove Mayor Craig Johnson said negotiations between the
village and the Bears "would cease until after the vote."
Though the referendum "would be non-binding," city trustees
will "abide by the results" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 10/14).
