Samantha Steele’s opponent in the race for the Cook County Board of Review has alleged Steele tried to get her to drop out in exchange for a six-figure job in Steele’s office.
Liz Nicholson, who’s running against Steele in the March Democratic primary for the seat on the board that considers property tax appeals, has filed a complaint with the county’s inspector general and sent a letter to Democratic party officials about the allegation late last week. Steele’s offers, the complaint claims, were made through intermediaries.
In a statement, Steele categorically denied the claims as “false and baseless” and said she would only hire “qualified, capable individuals who meet the high standards required for work in property assessments and related fields. Ms. Nicholson has never been, nor would she ever be, considered for any position — entry-level or otherwise — in my organization or any associated entity.”
“I stand by my commitment to ethical standards and hiring practices, and I will not tolerate false accusations designed to distract from the real issues in this race,” Steele’s statement continued. “I will be sending a cease-and-desist letter requesting that she retract this false statement. If necessary, I will take the appropriate legal action.”
Nicholson provided the text of the complaint to the Tribune. It does not name the intermediaries, but claims a union leader reached out to Nicholson by phone on Sept. 10 and “shared a message from (Steele), that if I dropped my candidacy for this position,” she would win a position in the office.
Nicholson said she told that person “this was inappropriate and that I would not entertain such a shameful offer,” and that she “was rendered speechless for a few moments,” but otherwise ignored it.
The complaint goes on to say Steele approached another person close to Nicholson late the next month, again offering to hire her. A spokesperson said Steele’s second offer mentioned “how good the health insurance would be.”
Nicholson’s husband, Gerry Sullivan, played in the NFL and has suffered from frontal lobe dementia. She has become a national advocate for concussion safety and successfully sued the NFL on behalf of all families of injured players.
Nicholson said she informed the inspector general “as soon as she heard” about the second attempt over the phone, and submitted a formal filing last week “to ensure she had a case number and that she had shared pertinent information via the complaint form. The case, however, has been proceeding since October.”
Steele has faced ethics fines and reprimands related to hiring and the release of “confidential” information. She is separately fighting a DUI charge from November 2024.
