Newsletter #6: One Fair Wage
Welcome to the Kalen for 44th Ward campaign newsletter. It’s a newsletter that’s focused on how we can make a better Lakeview for All, together.
Before we dive in: This campaign is powered by neighbors — not corporations — and we need your help to run this grassroots effort. Donate to support this grassroots campaign! I need your help to fight for all of us! Thank you!
We also need volunteers to knock on doors and collect signatures to get me on the ballot. Sign up to canvass throughout the week and every weekend!
Policy Corner: Corporate Money and the 44th Ward Part 2
Who Our Current Alderman is Really Voting For
Last week, we talked about our current Alderman, his trail of corporate donations, and his support of the lobbyist-written FAIR ordinance. Today, let’s turn the clock back and talk about tips.
One Fair Wage: A Primer
In October 2023, the City Council passed the One Fair Wage ordinance, which phases out the subminimum wage for tipped employees over five years. Before it passed, businesses could pay tipped workers 60% of the standard minimum wage, and employers only had to make up the difference if tips didn't bring workers up to the minimum.
Skip ahead to this year. After two phased-in raises, tipped workers were paid 76% of the full minimum wage, or $12.62 an hour. Ald. Samantha Nugent of the 39th Ward led an effort to freeze the phase-in at that level, and the City Council approved it 30 to 18.
Our current Alder did more than vote for the freeze, though: In May 2025, after restaurant and hospitality groups lobbied against the ordinance, he introduced the first proposal to pause it.
Mayor Johnson vetoed it, and the Council fell short of the votes to override it. The Council then near-unanimously voted to delay the planned phase-out by two years instead. In other words, the promise survived, but tipped workers were asked to wait.
Where I Stand
A tip should be a thank-you, not a paycheck. Yet for years, Chicago and most of the country let employers pay tipped workers a fraction of the minimum wage and leave the rest to the whims of customers' generosity. According to One Fair Wage, many tipped workers earn under $35,000 a year. About 44% are women and 55% are people of color, meaning that the subminimum wage falls hardest on marginalized groups who can least absorb an unpredictable income. That's unfair.
In 2023, the City Council promised to fix it with a phase-out deliberately stretched from three years to five so restaurants had time to adapt. Then, two raises in, some aldermen tried to slam on the brakes, including my opponent.
Small, independent restaurants operate on thin margins, and their concerns are real. They deserve support through this transition. But the answer to a hard transition is consistency and help getting through it, not breaking a promise to the workers who keep those restaurants running.
Chicago made a promise to its tipped workers in 2023. As your Alderperson, I’ll make sure it’s kept, on schedule, with tips on top.
Money Talks
If you read my last newsletter, it won't surprise you that my opponent has taken ample campaign contributions from the restaurant industry. Since 2022, his campaign has received 118 donations totaling nearly $137,000 from restaurants, bars, taverns, and nightlife venues, and from the owners, employees, and PACs tied to them. That's the same industry whose trade association has opposed One Fair Wage from the start.
Sixteen of those donations ($20,500) came on or after my opponent introduced the pause on May 21, 2025.
And once again, those totals don’t include the donations that my opponent has collected since I entered the race.
Who’s Left Paying?
Chicago is home to more than 600,000 renters and, according to One Fair Wage, roughly 44,000 tipped workers. Roughly 2,000 to 3,000 tipped workers call the 44th ward home, while roughly 3,000 to 5,000 work here.
These are the neighbors who feel every rent hike and every skipped raise. Again and again, the choice comes down to this: do we ask struggling residents to pay more, or ask the city's largest corporations and wealthiest individuals to pay their share? On this issue, our current Alderman sided with the corporate interests that fund his campaign over the workers in his own ward.
This Week in Running for Office
What have I been up to?
Saturday, September 26
I supported the Diversey Community Coalition’s goal to prioritize transit-oriented development at a rally outside the planned ComEd substation Saturday morning. This is key in my campaign to help make our streets safer and more accommodating to pedestrians.
We celebrated Parking Day 2026, a national event that promotes the better use of parking! Thank you to the Chicago Big Tent Urbanist Network for putting this event together at the Dovetail Brewery.
We had a successful Kalen for 44th Ward Canvassing and a post-canvass social at Jake’s Pub. I am so grateful to all the wonderful volunteers who are helping me get on the ballot!
Sunday, September 27
Sunday was another day for Kalen for 44th Ward Canvassing. This one was led by DSA’s Queer Socialist Affinity Group. Housing affordability is a queer rights issue. Trans folks are migrating to blue states to flee hostile legislation at home, and we have a responsibility to welcome them into neighborhoods like Lakeview with affordable homes. Consider joining us for a canvass to help me get on the ballot, so I can fight for all of us!
After our successful canvass, we had a social at Roscoe’s Tavern to relax and enjoy each other’s company!
Tuesday, September 28
We had a Petition Party Fundraiser to kick off the final stretch of petition season. My campaign is funded by neighbors — not corporate PACs or special interests — and your contribution makes a real difference. Thank you to everyone who came out to support my campaign.
Thursday, October 1
Despite the heavy rain, we had a successful Kalen for 44th Ward Canvassing talking to neighbors about my vision for Lakeview.
Friday, October 2
I joined the Nettlehorst Bike Bus ride to support alternatives modes of transportation to school! This is a great organization whose goals align with ours. See more details at https://nettelhorstbikebus.org/route.
What’s coming up next?
Saturday, October 3
Kalen for 44th Ward Canvassing: Join me and your neighbors at 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., starting at Cafe Deko. We’ll be launching from there and meeting back up at Vaughan's Pub around 2:00 p.m so people can get to know each other and celebrate a job well done!
Briar & Orchard Block Party: Join me and your neighbors for this annual Block Party! This year there will be a yard sale, too! The group is closing down the 600 block of Briar for a yard sale from 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. From 4:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. there will be a Block Party with a live DJ, ice cream truck, a fire truck, and more. Bring your own food, drinks, and chairs/tables/toys to the street!
Hispanic Heritage Month Event: I’ll be celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with our neighbors at the Second Unitarian Church of Chicago from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. This event reminds us of the diversity of our Lakeview residents and how we all have to work together to build a better community.
Sunday, October 4
Kalen for 44th Ward Canvassing: We'll be gathering petitions for me to get on the ballot. We're going to launch from Dark Matter Osmium Coffee at 2:00 p.m. and meet back up around 5:00 p.m. We’ll have an after-canvass social so people can get to know each other and celebrate a job well done!
Sunday, September 27
Kalen for 44th Ward Canvassing - Join me and your queer neighbors at 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Elevate Coffee in Boystown to get me on the ballot! Then join me for a fun social from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at Roscoe’s Tavern!
Get Involved!
Palin’ with Kalen
One of my favorite activities is exploring the city and finding new treats. Now that fall is here, my partner and I created a bingo board for trying out new fall specialty coffee drinks in and around the neighborhood. Let me know what your favorite fall coffee treat is!
