Chicago White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf called on the four legislative leaders in Springfield Tuesday in an attempt to gauge support for a new baseball stadium.
Two members of the Illinois House Democrats’ leadership team are not warm to the idea of helping Reinsdorf, not on the day before a budget speech in which a deficit is projected for FY 25.
“I think that type of commitment from public funds,” said State Rep. Jay Hoffman (D-Swansea), “is something that probably is out of the ballpark.”
State Rep. Lisa Hernandez (D-Cicero) – the Sox fan – likes the idea. Hernandez the lawmaker – not so much.
“The prospect of a new park sounds wonderful,” she said. “But with the budget conditions … ooh, that’s far-fetched, in my opinion.”
House Speaker Chris Welch (D-Hillside) issued a statement after the meeting:
“I want to thank Jerry Reinsdorf for coming down to discuss his vision in person. There are a lot of conversations that still need to be had, but I appreciate the opportunity to discuss future goals for Chicago teams.”