In 2006, Samantha Steele was elected to be the Assessor of Tippecanoe County in the State of Indiana. She served one term and lost re-election in 2010. In 2014, her successor described the office after Steele” “I took a disaster and cleaned it up. Tax bills are going out on time. I’ve cleaned up the backlog.”

While assessor, Steele was arrested on a criminal warrant for check fraud.

In June of 2019, she was sued by her business partner, who claimed she has overdrawn $18,000, intentionally interfered with business relationships, and breached the Trade Secret Act.

In 2022, Steele was elected to serve as the 2nd District Board of Review Commissioner in Cook County, Illinois.

In 2022, she was sued by her former campaign manager for unpaid wages totaling $19,192.

Steele hired an employee, who was a former official in Indiana, to a Cook County position after he was convicted of federal charges and testified against his brother. He was then fired because he “has had multiple violations” for his side jobs while employed at a Cook County taxpayer-funded position.

In July of 2024, a former aide filed a whistleblower lawsuit against Steele. He accused Steele of pressuring him to “engage in political activity” against the other Board of Review Commissioners. He was since awarded a $180,000 settlement, paid by taxpayers.

In November of 2024, was arrested for a DUI after crashing into parked cars, causing extensive damage. An open bottle of red wine was found on the floor of her car, and officers shared, “I detected a strong odor of alcoholic beverage as she spoke.”

Witnesses shared that Steele has tried to “escape” by fleeing the scene.  “This is an elected official who could have easily killed one of the people who elected her,”  witnesses shared.

First Responders’ body-worn cameras show Steele threatening officers on the scene, sharing: “I’m an elected official…you don’t want this.” They stated in her arrest report that Steele sexually harassed them in the hospital by repeatedly remarking, “Is your penis that small?” to an Asian-American police officer.

Prosecutors argue that her license should be suspended.  After her lawyers aggressively questioned the arresting officers and said, “CPD probably needs more training,” she was allowed to keep it temporarily.

On November 26, 2024, the Chicago Sun Times calls for her resignation. 

In an interview with Mary Ann Ahern on NBC Chicago, Steele shared she saw Chicago Police officers open the bottle of wine found in her vehicle and that she was not drunk.

In January of 2025, the State of Indiana passed a law - directed at Steele- that required that members serving on Tax Assessment Boards has must have residency in their State.  Steele had been serving as an official in Indiana from 2020-2025, while elected to office in Cook County.

In June of 2025, the Cook County Board of Ethics determined that Steele had violated the Cook County Ethics Ordinance by leaking confidential tax information to the media while the entity had pending property tax appeals before the Board of Review.

In June of 2025, the Cook County Board of Ethics issued another finding and a citation against Steele and her administration for taking taxpayer-funded trips to conferences that did not pertain to their position.

In July of 2025, the Office of the Independent Inspector General concluded that multiple investigations regarding the Board of Review that were supported by the preponderance of evidence, including an allegation that an “official” failed to disclose contracts with other units of government and made hiring decisions that constituted conflicts of interest.

The Chicago Tribune reports “multiple fines” were imposed on the Steele administration by the Board of Ethics. 

In December 2025, Steele’s challenger, Liz Nicholson, reported that Steele had contacted two intermediaries to relay messages of a bribe of a “high-paying government job” to get her to agree to drop out of their race in the upcoming election.  Nicholson reported the matter to the Cook County Independent Inspector General, and the two contacts verified the story to multiple outlets. The investigation is pending, and Nicholson requested that the matter be referred to the Cook County State’s Attorney.

Meet Liz Nicholson and see the difference thoughtful, accountable leadership can make.