Yesterday, Mayor McNamara issued a pandering video claiming no local agencies were involved in immigration enforcement activities and doubling down on Rockford’s “welcoming city” stance.

“We’ve seen enough of politicians running interference for illegal immigrant criminals,” said Sen. Chesney. “If ICE is in town removing criminals, Mayor McNamara should be cooperating, not apologizing.”

Rep. Cabello added, “I spent my career as a Rockford Police Officer. You don’t protect families by ignoring federal law enforcement. The mayor should be backing our officers and federal agents, not pandering to far-left activists.”

The lawmakers say McNamara should confirm what’s happening, clarify the city’s policy, prioritize law and order, and put the families of Rockford first.

“Working families in Rockford deserve answers and safe neighborhoods, not political pandering,” said Chesney. “We stand with law enforcement. The mayor needs to do the same.”

Though Chesney and Cabello represent only a small portion of the City of Rockford, they emphasized these issues impact the entire State and cannot be ignored.

“What happens in Rockford doesn’t stay in Rockford, it affects families and law enforcement throughout Northern Illinois. We need leaders who back the blue and stand with the American people, not sow hysteria and division,” Cabello said.

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“This is insanity, and it has to stop,” said Sen. Chesney. “I understand the predicament that Governor Pritzker and his allies have put schools in by forcing a woke agenda upon them, but the fact remains, no young girl should have to change with a biological male. It’s traumatic. It’s abusive. It’s insane. And it’s a complete betrayal of our community’s values and parents’ trust.”

“Pushing woke nonsense at the expense of girls’ safety and privacy is unacceptable,” added Rep. Cabello. “We will not sit idly by and allow this radical gender ideology to stand.”

The legislators pointed to President Trump’s recent executive order, “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” which requires schools receiving federal funds to base access to locker rooms and sports teams strictly on biological sex.

Sen. Chesney and Rep. Cabello are calling on the Hononegah School Board to work with them, parents, and the broader community to correct course and prioritize the well-being of local families.
“Hononegah has historically been a point of pride in this region,” said Cabello. “But on this issue, they’ve taken a serious and deeply disappointing step in the wrong direction. The board must act immediately to change course.”

Chesney and Cabello are asking the board to suspend the current policy, reinstate privacy protections for female students, and begin a dialogue with families to ensure students feels safe and respected.

“Parents are rightfully outraged because this isn’t hard: Girls’ locker rooms are for girls,” said Sen. Chesney. “We stand with them 100 percent in fighting this unacceptable injustice that has been created by Governor Pritzker’s woke ideology.”

“We stand with the parents of Hononegah,” Chesney and Cabello said. “The safety, privacy, and dignity of young women is non-negotiable. The school board must take decisive action, and we are prepared to do whatever it takes to ensure they do.”

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Sadly, many children do not grow up in a loving and nurturing home. They may be a child where the parent is largely absent from the home or is neglected, or worse, from a home where physical, emotional, and/or substance abuse is prevalent. For these kids with the odds stacked against them, it is incumbent upon those of us who had an easier path into adulthood or succeeded despite tremendous odds to step up and provide examples and guidance that is missing in these kids’ lives.

The importance and value of youth mentorship cannot be understated at a time when incidents of domestic violence are regularly reported in police reports and when gangs are actively recruiting young people to get involved with their criminal enterprises. Whatever the reason, when a child is recommended for mentorship, a well-functioning adult can help them through challenging experiences, life transitions, and stressful changes at home, school, or in their community.

After finishing college in Arizona, I lived there for a few years. While there, I contacted a Big Brothers Big Sisters organization and expressed an interest in becoming a mentor, known as a “Big.” After a background check and a screening and matching process, I was paired with a 10-year-old child who had a very difficult home environment. As we slowly got to know each other, it became evident that my role as a “Big” would require some elements of parenting that he was not receiving at home, so our relationship evolved a little differently than many of the other Big Brother Big Sister pairings.

As years passed, our mentor-mentee relationship continued, and as his home life further deteriorated, I took on more of the parental responsibilities for him. In addition, we began enjoying many of the experiences he had missed that a father would typically enjoy with a son. I took him on his first camping trip, enrolled him in hunter safety classes, and taught him how to shoot a gun. I taught him how to drive a car, and a few years later helped him enroll in his first classes at Highland Community College. I was also there and helped him purchase his first car.

During those difficult teenage and young adult years, it was important that he knew he had a safe place to go and an individual to talk to when he needed it. He moved into our home with my wife and me the day after he turned 18. There were bumps in the road, but with structure and support in place, he has overcome many obstacles.

Fifteen years have now passed since Nicholas and I were paired through Big Brothers Big Sisters. Nicholas has completed community college and has a good job in the healthcare field. His life is filled with possibilities, and he is excited about his future.

Friday, April 26, was a very special day for us. We were at the Stephenson County Courthouse, and Nicholas, now 25 years old, was officially adopted by my wife and me, and he legally took the Chesney family name. We could not be prouder that he is our son.

Clearly, our mentor-mentee experience was different than most, but one thing is certain, it wasn’t just Nicholas’ life that was improved. Ours was too. And as my wife Kelly celebrated her first Mother’s Day recently, that fact was undeniably clear in our home.

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