Rockford’s welcome sign gets officially welcomed with City Council support

By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — City Council members have ended the debate: Rockford’s welcome sign is welcome just as it’s written.

Aldermen voted 11-0 on Monday to affirm their support of the sign, which greets passers-by at the Interstate 90 and East State Street entrance to Rockford. It reads “All People are Welcome.” There was no debate before the vote, aside from a brief statement by Ald. Chad Tuneberg, who had been the most vocal critic of the sign.

The sign became a hot-button debate over the past week after Tuneberg questioned whether the sign meant the city was also welcome to criminals, or if the sign was designed to pose as coded language for Rockford being a sanctuary city for undocumented immigrants. Ald. Mark Bonne, in response to those comments, put forward a resolution to allow City Council to vote whether it supports the sign’s language.

Bonne’s measure was done in part because City Council had never previously voted on the language, something Tuneberg had noted in his criticism. The language was decided in 2018 by marketing agency GrahamSpencer in conjunction with GoRockford. It was then presented to Mayor Tom McNamara, who approved the language. The sign’s installation was completed in 2019.

“We wanted it to say welcome, but we wanted it to be more creative than that,” said John Groh, president and CEO of GoRockford. “We want our community to be welcoming to people of all backgrounds – whether they’re a visitor coming for a soccer tournament or a conference or a concert or somebody doing business here or somebody thinking about moving here – we want the community to feel welcome. The sense of ownership of being a community that has a strong sense of belonging and is a welcoming community to people of all backgrounds, that has been encouraging and I think it reinforces the many positive attributes of our community.”

Tuneberg initially raised issue with the sign on Jan. 8, 2024, when aldermen were considering eight ways the city would spend the final $3.2 million in federal American Rescue Plan funding. That funding included a portion to establish signs and landscaping at gateways to the city. The vote was coming a week after a plane with 355 migrants landed at the Chicago Rockford International Airport from Texas, and issues surrounding immigration were top of mind for Tuneberg. He noted that the sign was put up about a year after a so-called welcoming ordinance was pitched for the city but never approved.

“There was a movement of some sort to make Rockford a welcoming city, which I think was code word for sanctuary city but just turned a little bit differently,” Tuneberg said in January 2024.

Tuneberg made brief comments Monday, saying that here was a “false narrative” that has criticism about the sign was about “legal immigrants or diversity within our community.” He said his position was about crime coming into the community.

“For those Rockfordians who are not committing crime. Thank you and please stay,” Tuneberg said before supporting the measure. “For those of you who are coming here with no intentions to commit crime, consider all we have to offer and then plant your roots in the Forest City.”

Supporters of the sign say it shows Rockford values all residents and visitors regardless of race, religion, gender, age, ability, socioeconomic status or ethnicity. The resolution aldermen approved on Monday included this line:

“The city of Rockford affirms its commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion by supporting the municipal entry sign displaying the message Rockford – All People Are Welcome.”

Bonne amended the motion on Monday to state that future welcome signs would require City Council approval.

This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas