The Chicago city Plan Commission — no, I don’t really understand what it’s for, here, read the Wiki — is set to reviewCubs owner Tom Ricketts’ proposed changes to Wrigley Field today, and Wrigleyville alderman Tom Tunney is continuing his campaign to get some concessions, this time around those being:
- A 10-year moratorium on adding more signs above the bleachers, in addition to the 5,700-square-foot video board in left field and 650-square-foot ad board in right that Ricketts is currently demanding. (Ricketts says he wants to reserve the right to add still more ads later on.)
- The elimination of a pedestrian bridge connecting Wrigley to a new hotel across the street, “because an inebriated fan walking over the street could drop a beer on a passing car. ‘It’s a safety issue,’ he said.”
If that sounds like Tunney is grasping for something that he can claim as a win — remember, just last week he was insisting that the video board be only 3,000 square feet and that Ricketts pay more for expanding the Wrigley footprint onto city-owned sidewalks — that’s a reasonable interpretation. Though I’m not sure “kept drunk fans from dropping beers on cars by, wait, what’s a ‘fence’?” really makes all that great a re-election slogan.
The “Chicago city Plan Commission,” is just another commission to give the appearance that a given issue is discussed, debated, and voted on its own merits. But in Chicago, we all know that the Rahmfather tells them how to vote on a given issue.
And as I stated on this site before, Tunney is tilting at windmills, and he knows it, but again, he can go back to the constituents in his ward come election time and state “I went to bat for you! I voiced your concerns! Sure, we lost, but I did my damnedest against the Rahmfather! Now…can you please contribute to my reelection fund?”
I am not a fan of this Mayor, but lets be fair, Tunney is a typical weak politician caring about himself first, and everyone else second. This is similar to what happened with City Councilwoman Letitia James and the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) Expansion here in New York. When pushed to do so by labor unions, she changed her position (for it), abandoned the voters who elected her, and came up with crazy demands (to satisfy those unions), and what happened? BAM won and she settled for crumbs.
the Ricketts are ruining my town…I’m getting sick of them. Makes me want to be a Sox fan.
Honey Badger, well said.
Some years ago, I remember a study done of White Sox fans and their reasons for supporting the Sox. I don’t remember the exact number, but something like 15% of White Sox season holders said they didn’t even really like the White Sox, they just hated the Cubs.
I wonder if that number could be about to increase?
From the start the cubs were going to get the streets,sidewalks,air space, renovation costs and alter and bastardized that landmark all they want. The mayor is a cub and DePaul whore. Until the real cub owner daddy rickett started blaming the mayors Black boss for everything. So in the media the cubs are paying the Reno costs, but we know better.
It should shock no one that Tunney folded up like a cheap suit, and Ricketts won big (even on the Bridge issue). The bigger fight will be over the McCormick Arena for DePaul, and I suspect that the Mayor will win that battle as well.