Cam Buckner

Obviously, we believe it should be here in the state of Illinois, and I've been charged with it.

with trying to help that happen.

And so, you know, we have said from the beginning that we have to put together a framework that makes sense, that we're not in the blank check business.

But this bill being heard today is actually the opposite of a blank check.

It's the first step in a checks and balances process that forces clarity, talks about who pays for what, what the public gets and what the guardrails are to protect taxpayers.

And so stadium deals take some time.

They're complicated.

This is not my first one.

And I think that we're going to get to where we need to go.

Yeah, I'll say this.

A couple of things.

One, you know, when we're down here in Springfield, there are a lot of things we're working on all at once.

I think that we should be able to walk and chew bubble gum and be able to handle public safety and infrastructure and the environment, but also to be able to help and have conversations about businesses.

But the truth of the matter also is that, you know, the bears switched course a few times in this conversation.

You know, we had two or three public pivots about Chicago or Arlington Heights and then Indiana.

And so while the Indiana announcement, I think, did change the complexion of the conversation to a certain extent.

we had to be able to see what the lay of the land was and figure out how to move forward.

Once again, I know for Bears fans and for folks who care about this, this feels like it's taking forever.

But honestly, it is really the speed that these deals usually take when you go through them with a prior to call.

I told somebody recently, I said, I've spoken with the Bears more this week than my wife, as I've been down here in Springfield, which I think is an indicator that we're going in the right direction.