Chicago aldermen were frustrated Wednesday at a lack of answers as they sharply questioned and criticized top representatives of the Bally’s Chicago casino amid a construction slowdown on the $1.7 billion River West project.
City Council members probed the embattled company’s finances and grilled executives over the early-August decision to pause building a hotel and nearly all other non-gambling amenities at the site.
But critics of the pause complained they couldn’t get straight information from casino leaders or Mayor Brandon Johnson’s top deputies during the License and Consumer Protection Committee meeting.
“We’re getting stonewalled top to bottom,” said downtown Ald. Brendan Reilly, 42nd, who accused Johnson of failing to enforce the city’s contract with Bally’s to maintain construction. “We’re allowing folks to play games with union jobs, people’s livelihoods and, honestly, our police and fire pensions, which require this casino to be incredibly successful.”
