CHICAGO — A member of the powerful board responsible for ruling on Cook County property tax appeals was reportedly arrested Sunday after drunkenly crashing her car in the Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood.
Samantha Steele, 45, of Evanston, was charged with misdemeanor driving under the influence of alcohol following an investigation into a two-car crash shortly before 9 p.m. in the 5000 block of North Ashland Avenue, the Chicago Sun-Times reported, citing police reports.
Police reported they found an open bottle of red wine on the floor of her car and noticed that Steele smelled strongly of alcohol.
“Is your penis that small?” Steele repeatedly asked an arresting officer.
Steele, a Democrat, has been a member of the powerful three-member Cook County Board of Review for less than two years. She represents its Second District, which includes the North Side and the north suburbs. Her arrest comes as she faces scrutiny in connection to several controversies and legal battles that have emerged during her short time in office.
Steele was previously the county assessor of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, and later served on the transition team for Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi before narrowly defeating incumbent Michael Cabonargi in the Democratic Party primary.
The same month she took office, Steele hired a fellow former former county assessor from Indiana, Jon Snyder, to an analyst position despite his prior federal conviction in a tax-related case — he secretly recorded his brother, then the mayor of Hammond, and testified against him at his corruption trial in order to escape with a misdemeanor.
Shortly after his background surfaced publicly in June 2024, Snyder was placed on unpaid leave. Board officials had advised Steele to discuss Snyder’s hiring with her fellow commissioners, but her decision went ahead without consulting them, according to the Sun-Times.
Then, last month, Cook County’s inspector general released a report recommending Steele undergo ethics training after finding she had leaked confidential information related to a high-profile property tax appeal filed by the Chicago Bears.
According to the report, Steele disclosed details about a pending property assessment appeal for the Bears’ Arlington Heights stadium property, violating the board’s confidentiality policies and the state’s property tax code.
The Bears have argued that their property tax valuation should be significantly lower than its $197 million purchase price, while Steele reportedly took the position that the assessment should match the sale price.
The inspector general’s findings align with allegations from a federal whistleblower lawsuit filed in June by Frank Calabrese, a former aide to Steele. In his suit, Calabrese claims Steele retaliated against him after he raised concerns about her handling of the Bears’ tax appeal and her conduct towards fellow Board of Review commissioners.
Calabrese alleges that Steele pressured him to participate in political activities against other commissioners and leaked the Bears’ assessment information before a final board vote. According to the suit, the situation escalated after Steele instructed Calabrese to send a memo to Cook County officials regarding the team’s property tax appeal for Arlington Heights.
When Calabrese sought advice from the board’s general counsel about the request, which he believed might breach board confidentiality, the general counsel advised against it. After Calabrese told Steele that advice, he alleges she and her chief of staff, Dan Balanoff, instructed him never to speak with the board’s top lawyer again, claiming she was “working against” Steele and her “agenda.”
The lawsuit seeks $3 million in damages and calls for an injunction to prevent the Board of Review from filling Calabrese’s position until the case is resolved. Court records show U.S. District Judge Jorge Alonso granted a continuance in October as the parties pursue a potential settlement ahead of the next scheduled status heading in January.
Read more: Board Raises Bears’ Tax Assessment For Arlington Property By $30 Million
