As the Chicago Bears have waffled over the past year on where to build a new stadium, one constant has been Gov. JB Pritzker’s skepticism about providing major public dollars to help fund the project.
But during that time, Pritzker has spent $100,000 in taxpayer funds for an outside legal consultant to advise the state in discussions with the team and the Bears have brought on an outside adviser with close ties to Pritzker’s political operation and other Illinois Democrats, records show.
The maneuvers suggest talks between the two sides have gone deeper than has been portrayed publicly and shed new light on some of the behind-the-scenes positioning that has taken place during the yearslong push for public dollars or changes in state law that could help facilitate the construction of a team-owned stadium.
The revelations came to light after the Bears’ new adviser — a longtime political consultant who worked on local fundraising for last summer’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago as well as on Pritzker’s first campaign for governor in 2018 — reached out to the governor’s chief of staff in a late April email sent just weeks before the Bears confirmed to the Tribune that the team was shifting focus for stadium plans back to redeveloping the former Arlington International Racecourse.
“Hope you had a great weekend in NY,” Leah Israel wrote to Pritzker’s chief of staff, Anne Caprara, in an April 28 message sent to Caprara’s personal email address and obtained by the Tribune through an open records request. “As you know, I’ve recently started working with the Chicago Bears and I’d appreciate it if we can have a meeting to share a direct update and address your feedback about the current plan. I believe there are many benefits for the state and the plan would deliver significant wins for the administration.”
The email, which was also sent to a former Pritzker staffer who is now the Bears’ chief lobbyist in Springfield, indicated that, “per instruction,” team representatives had been meeting regularly, including earlier that day, with Pritzker’s outside adviser — Steve Argeris, a New York- and Washington, D.C.-based sports, media and entertainment lawyer who formerly worked for the owners of the NFL’s Carolina Panthers.
The meeting Israel requested with Caprara took place last week, according to the governor’s office, which said the conversation largely encompassed an overview discussion of the team’s renewed interest in relocating to the northwest suburbs.
Amid intense interest in the Bears’ stadium push, Pritzker’s office has acknowledged meetings between top aides and Bears brass and even a breakfast meeting Pritzker had last summer with team President and CEO Kevin Warren. But the administration previously had not publicly discussed Argeris’ role in advising the state.
“As the Chicago Bears have been discussing various stadium proposals and financing models for more than a year, the governor’s office felt it was important to conduct due diligence and fully understand all the facts that could impact state taxpayers,” Pritzker spokesperson Matt Hill said in response to questions from the Tribune. “Our office retained outside counsel with deep knowledge and expertise in professional sports team finances and the regulations of national leagues to ensure we could independently analyze and understand any potential impacts on taxpayers and the state.”
The state’s yearlong contract, set to expire in mid-June, was signed with Argeris’ previous employer, international law firm Hogan Lovells.
Argeris, who did not respond to requests for comment, moved earlier this year to Weil, Gotshal & Manges, where he is a partner in the firm’s private equity practice, according to a news release.
While Argeris has continued to engage with Bears officials about the team’s stadium plans, the state has not made any additional payments to Argeris or his new firm, according to the governor’s office.
Argeris’ role has involved meeting with Bears representatives, analyzing the team’s proposals and breaking down how they would affect Illinois taxpayers, according to the Pritzker administration. He also has advised the governor’s office on how the state could potentially generate revenue from a stadium project.
The governor’s office did not provide specifics on the frequency of Argeris’ meetings with the Bears or with state officials.
The Bears, meanwhile, declined to discuss specifics about the team’s meetings with the state and Argeris.
The former Arlington International Racecourse, facing east at sunrise, on May 23, 2025, in Arlington Heights. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
A Chicago Bears digital billboard glows at sunrise just off of Route 53 at the former Arlington International Racecourse on May 23, 2025, in Arlington Heights. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
Rows of trees on the southern edge of the former Arlington International Racecourse are lit by the sunrise on May 23, 2025, in Arlington Heights. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
The former paddock is marked by a circle and cross at the former Arlington International Racecourse on May 23, 2025, in Arlington Heights. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
An aerial photo shows the former Arlington International Racecourse on March 12, 2024, in Arlington Heights. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
The former Arlington International Racecourse is seen on May 19, 2025, in Arlington Heights. The Chicago Bears own the property and may build a new stadium and entertainment district there. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
The view from the neighborhood northeast of the former Arlington International Racecourse on Dec. 30, 2024, in Arlington Heights. The Chicago Bears own the property and could potentially build a stadium there. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
A digital billboard advertising the Chicago Bears sits near the practice track of the former Arlington International Racecourse near Route 53 and Northwest Highway on June 25, 2024, in Arlington Heights. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
The former Arlington International Racecourse is seen on March 12, 2024, in Arlington Heights. The Bears purchased the Arlington Heights property last year. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune
The grandstand at the former Arlington International Racecourse is dismantled on Sept. 25, 2023, in Arlington Heights.
Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune
The shell of the grandstand remains at the former Arlington International Racecourse as crews continue to demolish it on Aug. 31, 2023, in Arlington Heights.
Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune
Riders wait for a Metra train at the station in downtown Arlington Heights on Sept. 29, 2021.
Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune
People wait for a Metra train in downtown Arlington Heights on Sept. 29, 2021.
Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune
Downtown Arlington Heights features a small park, condos, retail shopping and dining on Sept. 29, 2021.
Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune
People walk through the intersection of Vail Avenue and Campbell Street in downtown Arlington Heights on Oct. 14, 2021.
Eileen T. Meslar / Chicago Tribune
Arlington International Racecourse property in Arlington Heights is seen on May 1, 2023.
Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune
Workers gather in a parking lot outside of the former Arlington Park to begin demolition on May 30, 2023, in Arlington Heights.
Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune
Demolition continues on the grandstand at the former Arlington International Racecourse on July 11, 2023, in Arlington Heights.
Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune
The grandstand of the former Arlington International Racecourse is razed on Sept. 25, 2023, in Arlington Heights.
Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune
Selso Nuñez, of Palatine, dressed in Bears garb, peeks over the gate of Arlington International Racecourse as he looks for a spot to watch the fireworks following a day of races on Sept. 25, 2021.
Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune
The former Arlington International Racecourse is shown behind the Arlington Park Metra train station on Oct. 28, 2021.
After buying the former Arlington International Racecourse in Arlington Heights in 2023, the Chicago Bears proposed building a $2 billion stadium there as part of a 326-acre development including entertainment and residential uses. (Chicago Bears)
Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune
Clouds pass over the now-closed Arlington International Racecourse on Sept. 6, 2022, in Arlington Heights.
Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune
A rendering of the plan is shown as representatives from the Chicago Bears present their concept for building a new stadium and entertainment district on the site of Arlington International Racecourse during a public meeting at Hersey High School in Arlington Heights on Sept. 8, 2022.
Hart Howerton/Chicago Bears
A rendering released by the Chicago Bears shows the view from the proposed stadium of the Arlington Park entertainment district.
E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune
The synthetic racing surface is being removed from the track at the Arlington Park International Racecourse property in Arlington Heights on Feb. 8, 2023.
Eileen T. Meslar / Chicago Tribune
The Arlington International Racecourse property in Arlington Heights is seen on May 1, 2023.
Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune
Construction equipment stands ready for expected demolition at the former Arlington International Racecourse at sunrise on May 30, 2023, in Arlington Heights.
Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune
Demolition continues on the grounds of the former Arlington International Racecourse on June 13, 2023, in Arlington Heights.
Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune
Demolition crews hired by the Chicago Bears begin knocking down the grandstand at the former Arlington International Racecourse on June 16, 2023, in Arlington Heights. The Bears are looking at the site to build a possible new stadium for the team.
Trent Sprague/Chicago Tribune
Demolition continues of the main grandstand at the former Arlington International Racecourse in Arlington Heights on Aug. 1, 2023.
Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune
Demolition of the grandstand continues at the former Arlington International Racecourse, Aug. 7, 2023.
Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune
Demolition of the grandstand continues at the former Arlington International Racecourse, Aug. 7, 2023.
Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune
Demolition continues on the grandstand and surrounding structures at the former Arlington International Racecourse, Sept. 25, 2023, in Arlington Heights.
E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune
Arlington International Racecourse property in Arlington Heights is seen on Feb. 8, 2023.
Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune
A Metra train passes the former Arlington International Racecourse at sunrise on May 30, 2023, in Arlington Heights.
Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune
Arlington Park International Racecourse in Arlington Heights is seen on Sept. 29, 2021. The Chicago Bears have signed a purchase agreement for Arlington International Racecourse, the near-century-old facility that likely hosted its final horse race last Saturday.
Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune
Arlington Park International Racecourse is seen on Oct. 6, 2021, in Arlington Heights. The Chicago Bears have signed a purchase agreement for Arlington International Racecourse, the near-century-old facility that likely hosted its final horse race.
E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune
A view of the former grandstand of Arlington Park International Racecourse property in Arlington Heights is seen on Feb. 8, 2023.
Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune
The former Arlington International Racecourse is seen at sunrise on May 30, 2023, in Arlington Heights. Demolition is expected to begin soon.
Trent Sprague/Chicago Tribune
Crews demolish the main grandstand of the former Arlington International Racecourse in Arlington Heights, July 14, 2023. The site may become the future home of the Chicago Bears.
Trent Sprague/Chicago Tribune
Main grandstand demolition continues at the former Arlington International Racecourse in Arlington Heights, Aug. 1, 2023.
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The former Arlington International Racecourse, facing east at sunrise, on May 23, 2025, in Arlington Heights. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
“Over the last few months, we have made significant progress with the leaders in Arlington Heights, and look forward to continuing to work with state and local leaders on making a transformative economic development project for the region a reality,” team spokesperson Scott Hagel said last week in an emailed statement.
The team also declined to answer questions about why it retained Israel’s firm, Lilette Advisors, in its negotiations with the state or what the company’s duties have entailed.
A team source said the firm was retained because of its experience with mixed-use development projects across the country, though the company doesn’t detail any such experience on its website. Instead, the company describes itself as “a boutique, full-service strategic advisory firm deeply rooted in the intersection of government, media, and politics.”
“We specialize in developing strategies and messages to help our clients win, no matter the challenge,” Lilette’s website says.
Aside from reaching out to Pritzker’s chief of staff, Israel’s role in working with the Bears remains unclear. She declined to comment through a spokesperson.
Neither Lilette Advisors as a firm nor Israel as an individual was registered to lobby state officials in Illinois until May 22, after the Tribune inquired about their role in the team’s discussions with the Pritzker administration.
The firm, which previously was registered to lobby on Capitol Hill on behalf of clients including spirits-maker Pernod Ricard and North America’s Building Trades Unions, registered in Springfield to lobby only Pritzker and his office on behalf of a single client: CBFC Development — the Bears’ development arm.
Although light on experience in the sports world, Israel’s résumé shows deep ties to Illinois Democrats.
Pritzker, in a news release last year, praised Israel by name for her role in the Chicago DNC’s $94 million fundraising effort, and his senior political adviser called her “the very best in the biz” in a social media post sharing a news story on the host committee’s record-setting haul.
In 2018, Pritzker’s first campaign for governor paid a prior Israel firm more than $70,000 for fundraising consulting, state campaign finance records show. And his campaign fund last year paid another firm of Israel’s about $1,500 for “event production,” records show.
Israel also was national finance director for U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth’s campaigns from 2011 to 2019 and chief development officer for the 2020 DNC host committee in Milwaukee, which went largely virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
It remains to be seen whether the Bears’ new hire or the Pritzker administration’s work with an outside adviser will lead to any major movement in Springfield on legislation to help the team with its stadium plans.
An artist’s rendering of a new state-of-the-art enclosed stadium with open space access to the lakefront was released by the Chicago Bears on April 24, 2024. (Manica)
Renderings of a new state-of-the-art enclosed stadium with open space access to the lakefront were released by the Chicago Bears on April 24, 2024. (Manica)
Renderings of a new state-of-the-art enclosed stadium with open space access to the lakefront were released by the Chicago Bears on April 24, 2024. (Manica)
A rendering shows a new enclosed stadium plan with open space access to the lakefront. (Manica)
Renderings of a new state-of-the-art enclosed stadium with open space access to the lakefront were released by the Chicago Bears on April 24, 2024. (Manica)
Renderings of a new state-of-the-art enclosed stadium with open space access to the lakefront were released by the Chicago Bears on April 24, 2024. (Manica)
Renderings of a new state-of-the-art enclosed stadium with open space access to the lakefront were released by the Chicago Bears on April 24, 2024. (Manica)
Renderings of a new state-of-the-art enclosed stadium with open space access to the lakefront were released by the Chicago Bears on April 24, 2024. (Manica)
Renderings of a new state-of-the-art enclosed stadium with open space access to the lakefront were released by the Chicago Bears on April 24, 2024. (Manica)
Renderings of a new state-of-the-art enclosed stadium with open space access to the lakefront were released by the Chicago Bears on April 24, 2024. (Manica)
Renderings of a new state-of-the-art enclosed stadium with open space access to the lakefront were released by the Chicago Bears on April 24, 2024. (Manica)
An artist’s rendering that shows a plan for an enclosed stadium with open space access to the lakefront was released by the Chicago Bears on April 24, 2024. (Manica)
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An artist’s rendering of a new state-of-the-art enclosed stadium with open space access to the lakefront was released by the Chicago Bears on April 24, 2024. (Manica)
The moves follow a pendulum swing by the Bears in which the team is turning its attention back to building a stadium complex and mixed-use development on the former racecourse it owns in northwest suburban Arlington Heights a year after pitching a plan to build in the shadow of Soldier Field.
The change comes because the team and Mayor Brandon Johnson failed to get any significant backing for last spring’s plan to construct a $5 billion domed stadium development on a revamped lakefront.
With the focus now back on the 326 acres the Bears own in Arlington Heights, the team has indicated it’s looking for approval of a measure that would allow for negotiations with local governments over property tax bills for large-scale developments.
But with the legislature facing a shaky budget picture and other major challenges ahead of its scheduled Saturday adjournment, winning support for such a plan — which is sure to be met with stiff opposition from Chicago lawmakers — is no guarantee.
Originally Published: May 29, 2025 at 5:00 AM CDT