White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf to meet with legislative leaders over stadium proposal

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Chicago White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf is scheduled to meet with Illinois legislative leaders on Tuesday in Springfield as he seeks state funding for a new baseball stadium in Chicago’s South Loop.

A spokesperson for House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch said the Hillside Democrat is set to meet with Reinsdorf Tuesday afternoon. A spokesperson for Democratic Senate President Don Harmon of Oak Park, who met with Reinsdorf earlier, could not be reached for comment.

The scheduled meeting comes as the White Sox and developers push to bring a new ballpark to the vacant site known as “The 78” at Clark Street and Roosevelt Road. Reinsdorf is seeking about $1 billion in taxpayer funding to help pay for the project, according to a report last week from Crain’s Chicago Business.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker earlier this month said his administration plans to meet with developers about the project. A spokesperson for the governor said Tuesday that Pritzker had no imminent plans to meet with Reinsdorf in Springfield. The spokesperson declined to comment on a timeline for the planned meeting between the administration and developers.

Pritzker praised conceptual renderings of a Sox stadium from developer Related Midwest, calling them “beautiful.”

But for Related Midwest and Reinsdorf, securing public funding could be a challenge.

As he prepares to present his budget proposal on Wednesday, Pritzker faces a shortfall of nearly $900 million and challenges stemming from the ongoing migrant crisis. The governor has been lukewarm about allocating public funds for sports stadiums beyond typical infrastructure costs, a position he repeatedly has taken in discussions of a new Chicago Bears stadium.

So far, the proposal from Related Midwest has been speculative with no funding sources identified. The developer owns the site near Roosevelt Road and Clark Street and has suggested a new ballpark could create billions of dollars in annual economic benefits and tens of thousands of jobs, though those projections have not been publicly backed up.

If such a proposal gets the blessing from the Democrat-led legislature, lawmakers would likely have to change state law to get taxpayer funding for a new stadium, as the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority — which would finance the stadium — doesn’t have available funds for the development.

Lawmakers in Springfield on Tuesday appeared skeptical if not openly hostile to the idea of public funding for Reinsdorf’s stadium. State Rep. Kelly Cassidy, a Chicago Democrat, took to social media to express her disdain for the idea.

“Let me see if I have this straight: Billionaire businessman doesn’t like the last stadium we built for him & wants us to pay for a new one,” Cassidy wrote on “X.’ “Couldn’t even bother with the usual not quite a billion demand and just going full Dr. Evil. Not a penny, pal. #ReadTheRoomJerry”

State Rep. Will Davis, a Democrat from south suburban Homewood, said lawmakers are “a long way off” on any type of deal to secure public funds for a new stadium for the White Sox.

“I get Mr. Reinsdorf may be here talking to leadership. But leadership is going to have to have a serious conversation with rank-and-file members about something like that, particularly in a year when we’ve got a lot of pressing needs like school funding reform,” said Davis, who chairs the House Elementary and Secondary Education Appropriations committee. “I’d like to see dollars come there to help our young people before it goes to a stadium.”

Assistant House Majority Leader Jay Hoffman said Reinsdorf’s reported funding request could be “out of the ballpark” but said he expects to take part in discussions on a possible deal.

“I think the whole issue of public funding when you see what the value of these teams are right now is very, very difficult,” the Swansea Democrat said. “Using financing mechanisms that the state could possibly assist with for some cheaper debt would be something I think people would look at, but I think we’re way’s away from that. We’re just truly in the discussion phase.”

Forbes last year estimated the White Sox’s value at slightly more than $2 billion.

Related Midwest has proposed placing a soccer field, affordable housing and other residences in and around the current White Sox stadium, Guaranteed Rate Field, on the South Side. The firm does not own the land near the ballpark and has acknowledged that figuring out the land use would be a complex process.

Related Midwest previously had an initial meeting with Harmon about the proposed development of the area, spokesperson John Patterson said earlier this month. Welch has met with the company as well.

Reinsdorf has also met with Mayor Brandon Johnson in January, the team and mayor have said.

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Olander reported from Chicago.