CHICAGO — Mayor Rahm Emanuel completely dismissed talk Thursday of the Cubs moving to Rosemont and showed no concern over an approaching team-imposed deadline on a deal with rooftop owners.
Asked if he were concerned about the northwest suburb's offer of free land for the Cubs to build a Wrigley Field facsimile, the mayor responded with a curt, "No," then said, "I'm not worried about it."
"My view is, if it was a serious thing, they wouldn't be at the table negotiating," Emanuel added.
On that, he expressed calm over an approaching team-imposed April 1 deadline to reach a deal on signage and other issues with rooftop owners and Ald. Tom Tunney (44th).
"In every negotiation, there's always a moment in which the fog lifts and everybody can see the win," Emanuel said. "And I've encouraged the parties to stay talking. I'm encouraged that they stay at the table, that they see the fog lift and see what's in front of them.
"Now, we're not there yet, obviously. But I think there's enough wins there for everybody to declare a victory and have enough to go forward."
Tunney said Tuesday he doubted a deal would be completed by Monday, while a Cubs spokesman declined to comment on the significance of the self-imposed deadline.
Emanuel made the remarks at a news conference after the announcement that the city will receive a $100 million federal loan to complete the Riverwalk project downtown.
The Chicago Cubs and Wrigley Field are 95 percent owned by a trust established for the benefit of the family of Joe Ricketts, owner and CEO of DNAinfo.com. Joe Ricketts has no direct involvement in the team's day-to-day operations.
