In a recent turn of events, Samantha Steele, a commissioner of the Cook County Board of Review, has been charged with a misdemeanor for driving under the influence, following a collision in the Uptown neighborhood of Chicago, as reported by
Chicago Sun-Times
. The incident occurred Sunday evening when Steele’s vehicle was involved in an accident resulting in “extensive” damage, as per police records.
The arresting officers described Steele’s eyes as “bloodshot and glassy” and they detected “a strong odor of alcoholic beverage coming from her breath as she spoke,” details which emerged in conjunction with an open bottle of wine reportedly found in her car, according to
Chicago Sun-Times
. Steele, 45, declined to perform field sobriety tests, stating instead, “I want my lawyer, and I am not talking to you,”
the Sun-Times
reported she refused to offer more information to the police, following the altercation, Steele “repeatedly said, ‘Is your penis that small'” to an officer, a comment now part of the official police report.
Steele, first elected to the board in 2022, has expressed her commitment to reform while previously serving as a long-term assessment official in Indiana, her policy stances have sometimes led her into contention with her peers on the board, and she has faced scrutiny after an inspector general’s reprimand and a subsequent lawsuit from a whistleblower, former aide Frank Calabrese, as
Chicago Tribune
has revealed.
A December 27 court date awaits Steele, if convicted stigma of the arrest could threaten her political credibility and, as is statutory, her driving privileges could be suspended for up to a year along with penalties reaching $2,500. While Steele has yet to make a public statement regarding the arrest, the fallout from this incident certainly casts a shadow over her career, this is especially poignant given her history of employment decisions and her role in the high-profile dispute over the Chicago Bears’ potential new stadium site, as reported by both the
Chicago Sun-Times
and the
Chicago Tribune
.
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