AUSTIN -- When some West Sider voters go to the polls for the Nov. 5 election, they will be asked if Chicago taxpayers should subsidize a new Bears stadium.
Voters in parts of the 29th Ward, including portions of Austin, Galewood and Montclare, have a referendum question on their ballots that asks, "Shall the people of Chicago provide any taxpayer subsidy to the Chicago Bears to build a new stadium?"
The question was put on certain West Side ballots by former Gov. Pat Quinn with the help of Jacob Drews, a former intern to U.S. Rep. Danny Davis, records show. It will appear on ballots for voters in the 29th Ward's 6, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 15 and 17 precincts.
Quinn, who has frequently pushed ballot referendums as a means of government reform, said the question will allow Chicagoans to weigh in on the controversial proposal to build a new lakefront football stadium using public funds.
"We believe in the government of the people, and definitely taxpayers should have a say-so in whether public taxpayer money should be used to subsidize sports stadiums," said Quinn, a Galewood resident. "We're all fans of the teams, but that doesn't mean we have to pay for their stadium. That's something the owners should pay for."
The referendum comes as the Bears and Mayor Brandon Johnson have pushed for a new, $4.7 billion stadium near Soldier Field. Under the proposal, taxpayers would cough up as much as $1.5 billion of the projected tab.
If those plans don't come to fruition, the Bears could leave for suburban Arlington Heights, where the team bought a former horse racing grounds.
Looking to garner feedback on the plan, Quinn on March 27 filed an ordinance with the City Council to add a citywide referendum question on the stadium plans. The ordinance was referred by City Council to the Committee on Committees and Rules, where it has stalled.
When the citywide effort was sidelined, Quinn decided to petition his West Side neighbors to add the question specifically to their ballots. Working with neighbors of Galewood, where he has lived for over 40 years, was a way to garner enough signatures to get on the ballot in the few months before the election, Quinn said.
Though the new Bears stadium is being proposed for Downtown, Quinn asserts that his survey of West Side voters will be representative of the wider city. The referendum is non-binding, meaning it is just a survey of voter sentiment on the topic.
"It involves the taxpayer money of everyone in the city of Chicago," Quinn said. "Wherever you live, people have an interest in how the investment of the taxpayer money is going to be used."
Drews, who helped in the ballot effort, was unable to be reached for comment.
Quinn's referendum comes as other voters across the country have rejected public funding for sports stadiums.
On April 2, voters in Kansas City rejected a sales tax proposal to fund billions for a stadium for the Royals and an overhaul of the Chiefs' home field. Local leaders, including Gov. JB Pritzker, have referenced the Kansas City vote as reason to buck Johnson's support for a publicly financed stadium.
"Maybe one lesson that can be learned just from the last few years is stadium deals, and taxpayers putting money forward for stadium deals, [are] not particularly popular around the country," Pritzker said in a press conference after the Kansas City vote. "Take note that the winner of the Super Bowl this year, the team went out to try to get the stadium financed by the public, and it was rejected by the public in a place where the Super Bowl champions reside."
Seeing the Kansas City vote, Quinn developed a renewed energy for his cause.
"Whether it's Kansas City or Chicago or anywhere else that wants to use public money, taxpayer money to build a stadium, there ought to be an opportunity for the voters to vote on whether that's something the public wants," Quinn said.
Quinn has worked on sports stadium ballot referendums before. In 2001, he led a similar campaign against the planned Soldier Field renovations, introducing a referendum asking voters a question on funding the renovations that was eventually blocked by then-Mayor Richard M. Daley.
Quinn also sought to get a referendum on limiting Chicago mayors to two terms onto the 2023 municipal election ballots, an effort that failed, according to the Tribune.
If West Side voters lean no on subsidizing a new Bears stadium, Quinn hopes the result will send a message to City Hall.
"I think it's important to tell the members of the Chicago City Council that this is a bad idea," Quinn said. "I think members of the legislature in Springfield will see what voters in eight precincts in Chicago feel about the idea. ... It's a principle that's important in Chicago. It's important to voters, taxpayers and cities across America."