A Lakeview
for All.
Kalen Luciano is running for Chicago’s 44th Ward Alderperson to create a neighborhood where everyone can thrive. As a progressive community organizer, he is working to build more homes, safe streets, and a people-powered government.
Meet Kalen*
*like the first part of calendar
I’m Kalen Luciano. I moved to Lakeview to enjoy the walkable streets, live near transit, and build community with other LGBTQ+ Chicagoans. I’m among the majority of Lakeview residents who are renters. Like almost half of 44th Ward residents, I don’t own a car. And at 26 years old, I represent a new generation of leadership that will bring bold, forward-thinking ideas to the City Council.
At my core, I’m an organizer. I bring neighbors together to create a community everyone can thrive in. I’ve knocked doors for political candidates and worked for Illinois state lawmakers, so I know how our government works from the inside. I’ve organized for environmental justice, labor rights, and transit funding, so I know what Chicagoans want out of their city. Most recently, I co-founded Lakeview Urbanists where I’ve led organizing efforts for more homes, better transit, and safe streets. Through this work, we pushed the city to make Inner Lake Shore Drive safer for pedestrians and cyclists, fought against corporations tearing down housing to create more parking, and successfully advocated for hundreds of new homes in Lakeview to make rent and home prices more affordable by boosting our housing supply.
All these experiences taught me how to challenge the status quo, work toward community-driven solutions, and advocate for my neighbors. Now, I’m taking the leap from organizer to Alderperson because so much of my activism has focused on pushing our leaders to do the right thing, and I want to create a ward office that champions these efforts instead of getting in the way.
By approving new homes and lowering rent, building infrastructure to stop traffic violence, and hosting ward nights to increase transparency and bring community concerns directly to City Hall, we can build a Lakeview for all. The 44th Ward needs bold leadership that works for everyday people to make our neighborhood a happier, healthier place to live. I’m excited to bring you that leadership as your next Alderperson.
TOGETHER WE CAN BUILD
A plan for every part of Lakeview.
As a progressive community organizer, I’ve seen the potential to solve global challenges in our own neighborhood. From a housing shortage to the climate crisis, the status quo isn’t working for Lakeview. But we have the power to quickly address many of these issues right here in the 44th Ward by implementing solutions we know will work and demonstrating to the rest of the city how to create a happier, healthier neighborhood. I’m running for Alderperson to meet this moment with the boldness, urgency, and courage that our neighbors deserve.
Affordable Housing
We are in a housing crisis. Rent and home prices in the 44th Ward are skyrocketing. We need to build more homes and apartments so more people can live where they want. At the same time, we need to protect renters from predatory landlords and ensure housing for all who want to call Lakeview home.
WHAT I’LL DO WHEN ELECTED
Proactively upzone Lakeview, such as expanding the Broadway upzoning into the 44th Ward, to allow more homes and businesses throughout the neighborhood
Legalize four-flats, courtyard buildings, and other housing options city-wide to enable gentle density everywhere
Remove aldermanic prerogative from the city’s planning process, ensuring consistent standards for housing development citywide
Increase funding and streamline the approval process for affordable housing
Establish strong renter protections and expand legal assistance for tenants facing eviction
Safe Streets
Traffic violence is the most dangerous form of violence in Lakeview. Hundreds of car crashes injure and sometimes kill neighbors each year. In 2025, almost two dozen people biking or walking were injured in the 44th Ward. But we know how to fix this. Traffic calming measures like curb bump-outs and traffic circles have been proven to work in cities across the country. We can use funds from the ward office to quickly fix the most dangerous intersections based on crash data while working toward a long-term plan and investment in creating safe streets city-wide.
WHAT I’LL DO WHEN ELECTED
Redesign streets with common sense, low-cost infrastructure that will make our streets safer for those walking, biking, taking transit, and driving.
Add bus shelters, benches, and solar lighting to all major bus stops in the ward
Expand open streets programs like Dine Out on Broadway to other commercial corridors and make them more frequent
Introduce an ordinance to tax vehicles by weight and dedicate those funds to improving transit and safe streets infrastructure
People-Powered Government
Chicago's old-fashioned machine politics mean that members of City Council wield more power over their constituents than in any other major U.S. city. This results in a political system where alderpeople can stall development and growth, creating uneven and unequal infrastructure across our city.
This top-down power structure has to go. True democracy means community-driven efforts where everyone’s participation is welcome — especially our neighbors who have been marginalized because of their race, class, gender, sexual orientation, or disability.
We can and must create a model for people-powered government right here in our neighborhood because the government should work for and with the people to address their needs. That starts with creating a ward office that’s more accessible and meets neighbors where they are.
WHAT I’LL DO WHEN ELECTED
Implement participatory budgeting to allow residents to decide how to spend discretionary funds in the ward
Open up the ward office to monthly ward nights throughout Lakeview to listen to constituents needs and concerns
Support efforts to introduce Rank-Choice Voting, ensuring more representative election results
Public Safety
We need to broaden both our definition of and responses to public safety. Chicago over relies on police to respond to problems, but only after they occur. Instead, we need to address the root causes of harm by investing in solutions that prevent issues before they happen. This includes funding mental health services, violence interruption and prevention programs, and youth employment opportunities.
WHAT I’LL DO WHEN ELECTED
Increase funding for free public mental healthcare and the Crisis Assistance Response and Engagement (CARE) program
Expand youth employment and mentorship opportunities that are proven to reduce crime
Advocate for the Parking Alternative Response Team (PART) ordinance to reassign parking enforcement to the Department of Finance, creating a model for other alternative first-response programs
Stand Up to Corporate Interests
For too long, many of our Alderpeople have blocked efforts to make their corporate donors pay their fair share. As a result, life-affirming services from jobs programs to healthcare remain underfunded. We need to take money out of politics so that elected officials are beholden to everyday Chicagoans instead of corporations, big-money donors, and those who have been in power for the longest. We can support alternate response programs, reopen closed mental health centers, and build safer infrastructure to protect us from traffic violence by taxing the ultra wealthy.
WHAT I’LL DO WHEN ELECTED
Reject all corporate donations
Advocate for local progressive taxes to fund government services, relieving everyday Chicagoans of unfair tax burdens
Establish public financing for Chicago elections through a program that matches and multiplies small contributions to give everyday people more power in the democratic process
This campaign runs on neighbors.
JOIN THE MOVEMENT
Every door knocked, every conversation, and every dollar contributed brings us one step closer to a Lakeview for all.
DONATE
This campaign is funded and powered by neighbors — not corporate PACs or special interests. Your contribution makes a real difference. We rely on grassroots support to create campaign materials, host community events, and reach voters across the 44th Ward.
VOLUNTEER
We can win this race, but standing up to corporate interests will take work. Luckily, we have something they don’t — each other. We can share our vision for Lakeview by knocking doors, phone banking, hosting events, sharing social media posts and putting up yard signs. However you want to pitch in, we’d love to have you.
THE CAMPAIGN
Around Lakeview.
