Lack of horse racing is a tough loss

What a beautiful summer this would have been for racing at Arlington Park. Thanks to the Bears and Churchill Downs, there was no racing, and the grandstand is rubble.

Make no mistake about it, Churchill Downs did not want to sell Arlington Park to another racing entity.

They did not want the competition for horses and trainers. They insulted Chicago area fans by shipping the most prestigious races to their track in Virginia. The "Against All Odds" Million statue ended up in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Churchill Downs could have left the statue here and dropped the names of the stakes out of respect.

The Bears are no better. They could have leased the track to a group that would have continued racing until they made up their minds about the property. The revenue from the lease could have offset the property tax liability. Instead the Bears rushed right out after their purchase angling for tax breaks. If only the football team's pass rush were as good.

Let's face it, they have a new CEO who wants to impress his bosses, the McCaskey family. He wants to be a tough negotiator.

The McCaskey family inherited their wealth, they are not risk takers. They want the taxpayers and school districts to offset some of their risk. The Bears are worth $5 to $8 billion dollars.

Why do they need a tax break? They are paying wide receiver D.J. Moore $20 million a year. That's more than the property tax they are trying to get reduced. Politicians and real estate interests like to tout the economic benefits of having the Bears in Arlington Heights.

What about the losses to the local economy from not having racing? It's likely to continue that way for years.

Stewart Truelsen

Hoffman Estates