ProductionNinja.com

It certainly isn’t the first time that a politician has made that pledge… but this time I think we can believe him. Former Illinois Governor says that the ISFA’s latest proposal to buy Wrigley Field wouldn’t require any taxes, or even any bonds:

Former Gov. Jim Thompson said Tuesday he has found a way to have the state buy and renovate Wrigley Field — a remodeling cost of “at least $400 million” — with “no taxes of any kind.”

“I like my new proposal. I’m hopeful that we can reach an agreement” with Tribune Co., said Thompson, chairman of the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority. Thompson refused to say how the renovation could be financed without forcing the city to forfeit 30 years of sales and amusement tax growth generated by the Wrigley renovation. That’s something Mayor Daley has emphatically and repeatedly ruled out.

He would only say what the new plan would not include: “No PSLs [personal seat licenses] . . . No sales tax. No amusement tax. No McCormick Place [restaurant] tax. No taxes of any kind. I know that will disappoint the Sun-Times editorial board. But it’s the best I can do,” he said.

As I’ve said before, I have no problem with them selling naming rights for Wrigley Field. They can call it whatever the Sam Zell they want as long as they do two things: Win a World Series, and removing the ugly concrete facade has to be item number one of the to-do list for the renovation.