As your mayor, I face many unknowns. What future mask mandates and other public health mitigations will be imposed because of increasing hospitalizations and mounting COVID-19 case numbers prompted by the Delta variant? And will those adults not vaccinated decide to do so and how will that slow the spread?  

The Rochelle and Ogle County positivity rates continue to rise. My hope is that our state and community will not have to go back to strict protocols. To control the severity of the virus, a vaccine is readily available. 

Everyone has a right to our own opinions and beliefs about a mass vaccination. Many large gatherings now require proof of vaccination to attend.  As for me, I don’t regret getting the vaccine to protect myself and those around me. I have tried throughout the pandemic, to set a good example.

Despite the challenges of COVID-19, the City of Rochelle is growing. Project Jackpot is expected to announce their plans to repurpose and open the former Nippon Sharyo campus, adding jobs to the area. 

On Sept. 16, the city is hosting a hiring expo in response to the needs of our local businesses to fill a variety of open positions. The event is sponsored by the City of Rochelle, Office of Mayor John Bearrows, Kishwaukee College, Rochelle Township High School (RTHS) and Rochelle Foods-Hormel. 

The Hiring Expo will be held in the Blue Gym at RTHS. Its first hour will be dedicated to junior and senior students looking for internships, job shadowing and employment opportunities.

Hubs for Hire will expose our students to local commercial, retail, and industrial careers.  Thanks to Superintendent Jason Harper and the Board of Education for their collaboration and to those involved in the planning.

The Expo will be open to the public from 2:30-5:30 p.m. We hope to have 40 businesses participate and plan to market this event throughout the Northern Illinois region. A strong workforce is a necessary for growth and sustainability.

I recently had the opportunity to meet and spend considerable time with Governor Pritzker to discuss the issues facing our community in the wake of the pandemic. 

We spoke at length about the potential state legislation to prematurely close the Prairie State Energy Campus of which Rochelle has been a part owner of since 2007. 

Rochelle remains very pro-active relating to renewable energy, but we must make a reasonable and methodical plan to phase out production at the clean coal plant and replace our energy service with alternate sources of renewables. 

The governor seemed very receptive to our position. We also discussed the importance of the Byron Nuclear Power Plant to our region’s power grid.

I hope you will continue to enjoy summer activities while keeping you and your families safe.  Thank you for the opportunity to be your mayor. I take that responsibility and privilege very seriously. 

John Bearrows is the mayor of Rochelle.