SAMANTHA STEELE DUI FOLLOWED BY ETHICS CHALLENGES
SAMANTHA STEELE, CHICAGO POLITICIANS WAS PULLED OVER FOR DRUNK DRIVING
COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS POLITICIAN
BY SNN.BZ STAFF
It was late on a chilly evening when Cook County Commissioner Samantha Steele, visibly intoxicated, was pulled over by a police officer after swerving through the streets of downtown Chicago.
The officer, trained to spot the signs of drunkenness, immediately noticed the distinct smell of alcohol emanating from her breath. The commissioner’s slurred speech and bloodshot eyes made it clear she wasn’t in a state to drive. However, when the officer asked her to step out of the vehicle for a sobriety test, the woman’s sense of entitlement began to surface.
“I’m a Cook County Commissioner,” she declared with an air of superiority, her voice tinged with defiance. “You can’t arrest me. I make the rules around here.”
The officer, having dealt with countless DUI situations, stood his ground. “Ma’am, no one is above the law, not even a public official. I’m going to have to place you under arrest for driving under the influence.”
This only seemed to infuriate her more. “Do you know who I am? I have the power to make your life difficult. Do you really want to mess with me right now?” she spat, her words dripping with venom.
Since the March 2025 court date for Samantha Steele’s DUI case, there have been no specific updates on the outcome of that hearing in available sources. The case may have been continued, as is common in misdemeanor DUI cases, or no public resolution has been reported as of July 18, 2025.
Steele, a Cook County Board of Review Commissioner, has continued to face significant controversy, impacting her political trajectory.Regarding her political ambitions, Steele initially sought the Democratic Party endorsement for Cook County Assessor in the March 2026 primary, competing against incumbent Fritz Kaegi, Lyons Township Assessor Patrick Hynes, and fellow Board of Review members Dana Pointer and Timnetra Burruss.
During an April 16, 2025, pre-slating event, Steele made a pointed remark, stating, “Do we really want another rich White man buying office?” in reference to Kaegi’s self-funded campaign, which included a $500,000 personal contribution. However, by mid-July 2025, Steele failed to secure the Democratic Party’s endorsement for assessor. On July 9, 2025, she announced she would not run for assessor without party support and instead focus on her re-election campaign for the Board of Review, District 2.
The Cook County Democratic Party opted not to endorse any candidate in her Board of Review race, a decision made on July 17, 2025, signaling a lack of strong support. Steele faces challengers Liz Nicholson, a political consultant, and Vincent Pace, a Northfield Township Trustee, in her re-election bid.
Steele’s ongoing controversies have further complicated her position. A July 2025 Cook County Inspector General report found that she violated ethics rules by failing to disclose contractor roles with Indiana municipalities in her 2022–2024 Statements of Economic Interests, breaching the Illinois Government Ethics Act and Cook County Ethics Ordinance.
The report also alleged she engaged in quid pro quo arrangements by hiring Indiana political allies. Additionally, the Cook County Board of Ethics fined Steele and her aides in June 2025 for multiple breaches, including sharing confidential information about the Chicago Bears’ Arlington Heights property tax appeal with the media and allowing a staffer, Ryan McIntyre, to attend an unrelated conference on county time. McIntyre and Steele’s chief of staff, Dan Balanoff, were also fined for misuse of county resources.
Steele also faces a federal whistleblower lawsuit from former aide Frank Calabrese, who alleges retaliation after raising concerns about her handling of the Bears’ tax appeal and other misconduct. The lawsuit, filed in June 2024, seeks $3 million in damages and remains ongoing, with a status hearing scheduled for January 2026 after a continuance was granted in October 2024. Furthermore, Steele’s decision to grant herself a $50,000 property tax break on her Evanston home without recusing herself drew criticism in April 2025, adding to perceptions of unethical behavior.
Public sentiment, as reflected in posts on X and Reddit, remains critical, with users questioning her fitness for office and citing her DUI arrest and ethical violations. Despite these challenges, Steele continues to engage in public outreach, hosting property tax appeal seminars in July and August 2025 in Norwood Park and Rogers Park Townships. However, her lack of party endorsement, ongoing legal issues, and ethical controversies suggest a precarious position as she campaigns for re-election to the Board of Review.
But she wasn’t finished. A sudden thought seemed to cross her mind, and she quickly shifted her tactic. “I’m injured, you know,” she said, clutching her side as if in pain. “I need to go to the hospital. You’re going to let me go now, aren’t you?”
The officer, seeing through her obvious attempt to delay, remained unmoved. “That’s not going to work. I’m still placing you under arrest.”
But the commissioner wasn’t done trying to assert her power. She began to mock the officer, her insults turning personal. “I’ve seen better men in my life,” she said, sneering at him, “but I guess you’re the one that had to settle for this pathetic job.” The officer, already used to insults, continued to calmly process the situation, maintaining professionalism.
She knew this might be the moment when her influence could come into play. She picked up her phone, tapping a number quickly, and within moments, an aide or associate from her office appeared, calling for backup. The person quickly explained that they would arrange for her release, making vague references to political connections and her standing in Cook County.
In a last-ditch effort to evade the inevitable consequences, the commissioner made one more call, this time to a well-connected lawyer, known for defending high-profile clients who found themselves in legal hot water. The lawyer immediately swung into action, pushing for her immediate release, citing legal loopholes and leveraging her public position.
“She can’t possibly be detained like this,” the lawyer argued. “We’re talking about a county official with the respect of an entire jurisdiction. This kind of overreach is unheard of.”
As the situation played out, the commissioner’s powerful connections did manage to delay the arrest. While the officers were forced to let her go temporarily, they were clear that this was only a delay, not an exoneration. But the underlying message was clear: despite the fact that she was clearly intoxicated and in violation of the law, her political status allowed her to manipulate the situation, at least for the time being.
However, this wasn’t the first time she had used her political clout to escape accountability. Over the years, she’d accumulated a reputation for skirting the law, whether through shady land deals, misusing public funds, or leveraging her power to intimidate opponents and critics. But this time, there was an additional layer of public backlash. Social media caught wind of the incident, with citizens expressing their outrage over the audacity of a public official trying to manipulate the legal system for personal gain.
The situation sparked a wider conversation about the role of power in politics. The commissioner had proven once again that those in positions of power often believe they can avoid the consequences of their actions. But while they might succeed in evading the law temporarily, the public’s memory is long—and the fallout from this latest scandal would haunt her for years to come.
In the days that followed, news outlets ran reports about the incident, highlighting how the political elite often believe they can use their power and influence to escape punishment. The public, frustrated with the ongoing pattern of impunity among public officials, demanded accountability. Calls for reform and greater transparency in political offices grew louder, but for now, the commissioner had once again slipped through the cracks.
