Cook County officer arrested and charged with drunk driving in Chicago

A first-term Cook County official was arrested on the North Side Sunday and charged with drunken driving, Chicago police records show.

Democrat Samantha Steele — one of three commissioners on the relatively obscure but powerful Cook County Board of Review — faces a felony charge of driving under the influence.

Police said they arrested Steele, 45, at 8:49 p.m. Sunday in the 5000 block of North Ashland Avenue in Ravenswood.

Her court date was scheduled for Dec. 27, the police report said.

Steele did not respond to messages seeking comment Monday.

Police and political records indicate Steele lives in Evanston. She represents the Board of Review District 2which includes much of Chicago's north side and northern suburbs.

Steele was first elected to the Board of Review, which can decide property tax appeals, in 2022 and defeated incumbent Michael Cabonargi in the Democratic primary after serving on Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi's transition team.

Recently an advisor to Steele, Frank Calabrese has filed a whistleblower lawsuit against her and her chief of staff in federal court.
Earlier this year, Steele defended give a job in the district to a former northwest Indiana politician who pleaded guilty in a federal case.

And Steele found himself there center of the dispute about the Chicago Bears' property tax bill for the old Arlington Park track site, where the football team has been considering building a new stadium.

Dan Mihalopoulos is an investigative reporter on WBEZ's Government & Politics team. Tom Schuba is a criminal justice editor at the Sun-Times.