Hiring of Jon Snyder In December 2022, Steele hired Jon Snyder, a former
Portage, Indiana assessor, as an analyst for commercial property tax appeals. Snyder had recently pleaded guilty to a federal misdemeanor tax-related charge. Steele ultimately fired Snyder from his position in December 2024.
Wrongful termination lawsuit On July 2, 2024, Frank Calabrese, an appeals analyst and communications director in Steele's office, filed a federal whistleblower lawsuit against the Cook County Board of Review, Steele, and her chief of staff. Calabrese alleged he was terminated on May 20, 2024, shortly after twice meeting with investigators from the county's Office of the Independent Inspector General about Steele and her aide, and after he declined to reveal to Steele what he had told investigators. He further alleged he was pressured “to engage in political activity” against the other two Board of Review commissioners and was punished for seeking legal guidance from the board's general counsel after Steele directed him to draft and distribute a memo to elected officials about the Chicago Bears’ Arlington Heights tax appeal. According to board records cited in reporting, Calabrese earned nearly $89,000 annually at the time. His attorney characterized the matter as a “classic whistleblower case.” Context around the Bears matter had already drawn formal warnings from the Board of Review's top lawyer. In March 2024, general counsel and chief ethics officer Cristin Duffy admonished Steele in a letter to the Chicago Bears, calling it “premature and inappropriate” for Steele to have discussed pending deliberations with media before a final vote—after Steele publicly asserted analysts had agreed to a $138 million valuation (a claim a fellow commissioner's office denied). In October 2024, the county inspector general recommended ethics training after finding that “BOR Official A” (identified in reporting as Steele) violated board ethics rules and state property-tax impartiality requirements by disclosing confidential information about the Bears’ appeal and making comments indicative of bias; the same report noted interviews with a Steele office employee whose identity reporting tied to Calabrese and his subsequent lawsuit. In January, 2025, the
Cook County Board of Commissioners approved a $180,000 settlement to resolve Calabrese's lawsuit, with 14 commissioners voting in favor, none opposed and one abstention. County records showed more than $125,000 would be paid directly to Calabrese, with the remainder to his counsel. Calabrese said he felt vindicated by the outcome; the agreement included no admission of wrongdoing by the parties and was paid by the county. News coverage noted the settlement stemmed from claims that Steele pressured Calabrese to leak confidential information and retaliated after he cooperated with investigators. Separately, in June 2025 the Cook County Board of Ethics issued a Notice of Determination finding that Steele violated §2-577 of the Cook County Ethics Ordinance by disclosing confidential information about the Bears’ Arlington Park appeals on three occasions in 2023–2024, imposing maximum civil penalties for each violation.
DUI arrest In November 2024, Steele was arrested and charged with driving under the influence in Chicago. According to police reports, Steele allegedly made derogatory comments to the arresting officers, including repeatedly asking one officer, "Is your penis that small?" A subsequent
WBEZ story reported a 911 caller said the driver tried to leave the scene of the crash; the caller also said the driver appeared intoxicated. The incident led to calls for her resignation from some political figures. The
Chicago Sun-Times editorial board also called for her resignation. Steele's driver's license was initially suspended but was reinstated in December 2024 following a court hearing.
Failure to disclose economic interests In a July 2025 report, the Cook County Office of the Independent Inspector General (OIIG) found that Steele had failed to disclose her position with another state government, as well as contractual relationships her consulting firm had with several municipalities, on her Statements of Economic Interests for 2022, 2023, and 2024. The OIIG concluded that these omissions violated the Cook County Ethics Ordinance and constituted a breach of her fiduciary duty. The OIIG recommended that Steele file amended statements to correct the omissions.
Board of Ethics fines against Steele and her staff At its June 25, 2025 meeting, the Cook County Board of Ethics approved multiple Notices of Determination concerning Steele's office. In Notice of Determination 25I001, the Board found that Steele violated §2-577 of the Cook County Ethics Ordinance by disclosing confidential information about the Chicago Bears’ Arlington Park tax appeals on three separate occasions in 2023 and 2024. The Notice identifies (1) statements attributed to Steele that relayed an intervenors’ appraisal figure while settlement talks were still pending in early May 2023; (2) a statement quoted on February 20, 2024, indicating there was a preliminary agreement on valuation; and (3) a February 21, 2024 television interview in which she discussed the Board of Review's decision-making process while the appeal remained pending. The Board stated it relied in part on the Cook County Office of the Independent Inspector General's Summary Report No. IIG24-0144 and on a March 13, 2025 interview with Steele, and it imposed the maximum civil penalty of $3,000 for each instance, payable within 30 days. ==Personal life==