Cubs, Tunney at odds over tent shielding players’ parking lot
The Cubs and Ald. Tom Tunney ( 44th) are at odds, yet again.
This time, the point of contention is the “tent and curtain” over a parking lot — at 1102 W. Waveland near the local firehouse — used by Cubs players, their wives and family members.
In each of the last three seasons, Tunney signed off on the tent permit. That allowed Cubs players and family members to arrive and depart without being hounded by autograph seekers, hecklers or pickpockets.
Now, Tunney has done an about- face. He has told the Cubs he plans to oppose the tent permit because the neighbors don’t want it.
“He’s approved this permit for the last three years. There can be no other reasons for him to oppose this permit beyond getting ready to go into an election year,” said Cubs spokesman Julian Green.
If Tunney blocks the permit and City Hall doesn’t overrule him, Cubs players will be in danger, Green said.
“We want to continue using this tent because it provides an ad- ditional layer of security for our players and their families,” Green said Wednesday.
“Without the tent, anyone from any area around that Blue Lot could walk into the lot. These are players who obviously make a lot of money. To have them exposed like that puts them at risk — before and after the game.” Tunney refused to comment on the tent dispute.
In a March 12 letter to the aldermen, 16 residents urged Tunney to deny a permit for the “tent and curtain on the Blue Lot.”
“Since October of 2015 and the subsequent two seasons, the erected tent has been the cause of many problems,” the letter obtained by the Sun- Times states.
“Neighbors have been burdened with difficulty accessing their garages, dangerous traffic encounters, exorbitant noise created from the tent on windy days and the unsightly nature of it.”
Green countered that the Cubs have been “more than accommodating” to local residents.