Welcome to Roselle. Please excuse the spelling
A sign in Roselle thanking visitors for stopping by is getting attention on social media after “visiting” was misspelled as “visivting.”
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A sign thanking visitors for stopping by is getting plenty of attention in Roselle — but not for the reason borough officials likely intended.
The sign, posted on the bridge between Locust Street and West First Avenue, reads, “Thanks for visivting.”
Below that, in larger type, is the name of Mayor Donald A. Shaw, followed by “Roselle Stronger Together” and “Borough of Roselle First in Light” — a nod to the borough’s claim to fame as the first town in the world to be lit by Thomas Edison’s incandescent electric lighting system in 1883.
But it is the typo in “visiting” that has caught the attention of social media users.
Former Roselle Mayor and Assemblyman Jamel Holley posted a photo of the sign, pointing out that “visiting” was misspelled.
“To those visiting the Borough of Roselle or just passing through: On behalf of our residents, who are by and large remarkable people, please know that the incompetence of borough government is not a reflection of this community,” Holley said.
Social media users wasted no time responding in the comments.
“It’s bad enough that the mistake was made by the printer. But it’s even worse that it was overlooked to the point that the banner was raised without the knowledge of the mistake. But taking it a step further, noticing the mistake and raising the banner anyway is really bad,” one person wrote.
Other commenters called it embarrassing or hilarious, while some wondered how the error was not noticed sooner and why the sign was allowed to be hung with the misspelled word.
In a statement to News 12, Mayor Donald Shaw acknowledged the misspelling and said the borough is working to correct the error. He also pointed out some positive developments in the borough.
"There is a typo on the sign, and it is being addressed. Who knew a misspelling was all it took to get people talking about Roselle," Shaw told News 12. "Since the spotlight is on us, I want to highlight the positive progress taking place across our borough. We are revitalizing the St. George Corridor with new development and constructing a new Youth Center. We also recently hosted a successful summer youth employment program to help young residents build skills for the future, and we have provided small businesses with $25,000 loans to fix their facades. There is a lot happening in Roselle right now, and we are just getting started."
