Sen. Barickman’s Probe Of Violence Program Will Continue

A state senator has pledged to continue a legislative inquiry into a $55 million anti-violence program under Gov. Pat Quinn.

Sen. Jason Barickman (R-Bloomington) is co-chairman of the Legislative Audit Commission. He spoke Wednesday after a commission review of Auditor General William Holland's caustic report on the Neighborhood Recovery Initiative.

Barickman calls the program a "shameless, useless waste of taxpayer dollars.''  Holland found Quinn's Chicago anti-violence program had "pervasive'' deficiencies. It was organized weeks before the 2010 election.
 
Co-chairman Rep. Frank Mautino  - a veteran Spring Valley Democrat -  says the commission won't delay the probe even though it could embarrass Democrat Quinn as he seeks re-election in November.
 
Mautino says the audit commission's job is to "fix things going forward'' and determine what happened previously.