Jim Tinaglia
Labeling himself a “careful and concerned” advocate for the Chicago Bears’ potential relocation to Arlington Park, longtime Arlington Heights Trustee Jim Tinaglia announced he is running for mayor.
In a wide-ranging interview to discuss his candidacy, Tinaglia — an architect by trade — maintained his opposition to the Bears’ initial full-scale redevelopment plans that called for much more than an NFL stadium at the shuttered racetrack.
He said the team’s proposal for a mixed-use transit-oriented development — with restaurants, stores, offices, hotels, homes and more on 206 acres of the 326-acre property — would “negatively impact” what is already in downtown Arlington Heights.
And like he told the Bears’ attorneys and consultants during an initial review of site plans in October 2022, Tinaglia said he’d still be a “no” vote.
Arlington Heights Trustee Jim Tinaglia, who has declared his candidacy for mayor, remains opposed to the Bears’ fall 2022 mixed-use district redevelopment proposal for the Arlington Park property.
Courtesy of Chicago Bears
“There’s a lot of benefit for them to come here, I believe. But the other 200 acres out there is what is really the biggest concern,” Tinaglia told the Daily Herald. “How does it get developed? Who is going to develop it? How is it getting paid for? Some critical issues are traffic and congestion, impact and safety for the community. How do all of those things play so that our residents aren’t the losers on this?”
“We cannot end up being on the short end of the stick on this just so that an NFL team comes in and makes a lot of money. That’s a bad decision for us,” he continued. “So my hope is to find a way to use all of my tools that I’ve learned through all of my career and everything I have to be able to help balance that — make a wonderful place for them to want to be here, and protect everything that we’ve grown to enjoy and believe in for Arlington Heights.”
Tinaglia, a member of the village board since 2013, declared his candidacy a month after three-term incumbent Mayor Tom Hayes announced he wouldn’t seek reelection. Trustee Tom Schwingbeck announced his run for mayor in May, and Arlington Heights Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Jon Ridler formed an exploratory committee in March for a possible run.
As candidates toss their hats in the ring and prepare to circulate nominating petitions, the Bears’ quest for a new stadium remains in limbo. The organization shifted its focus away from the Arlington Heights redevelopment plan earlier this year to pursue a new stadium on the Chicago lakefront, but got the cold shoulder from Gov. J.B. Pritzker and state lawmakers who control the purse strings to make it happen.
The Bears’ lakefront stadium pitch got a cold reception from state lawmakers, leaving both the team’s city and suburban stadium options in limbo.
Courtesy of Chicago Bears
Hayes has said he believes the Bears will decide whether or not to build a stadium in Arlington Heights before his term expires in May 2025.
If they do, Tinaglia said he would help club President and CEO Kevin Warren and Chairman George McCaskey find a “perfect balance” in redeveloping the racetrack property. Tinaglia said he doesn’t want to see a “duplicative” downtown area halfway between the downtowns of Arlington Heights and Palatine.
“My hope is to help protect where we are and encourage really smart, careful growth,” he said. “And I would not want to send a message to the Bears that I’m not their guy. I am an advocate. And I’m not afraid. I’m not afraid. But I would be a very, very careful and concerned kind of advocate to make wonderful things happen. And if it’s not wonderful, then I will not be an advocate.”
If not a traditional mixed-use redevelopment project to complement a stadium, then what? As he has in the past, Tinaglia suggested the sprawling site could fit two sports venues — maybe a new White Sox stadium, he said — and wants the Bears to move Halas Hall and their practice fields to Arlington Park.
He also proposed construction of a convention center with shared parking, and community fields that could host Ravinia-type concerts.
Tinaglia said he’s committed to being one of the Bears’ “biggest cheerleaders.” But if they don’t come to town, he said there’s no harm in waiting for a viable plan B.
“Maybe my ego might be a little overextended here when I think that somebody, if not the Bears, will have some wonderful idea somewhere at some point,” he said. “You know, whether it’s a different NFL team or some other kind of a sporting event or something fabulous. I would be happy to be patient and wait for the right development to come along.”
