Gov Q’s election-time payouts to West Side voters, where start to show problems?

Time “of the essence” in spreading it around.

Top Quinn officials put together the violence prevention program in the months before the governor stood for election in 2010 amid a spate of Chicago shootings. Then-chief of staff Jack Lavin underscored the need to move quickly in a Sept. 2 email to a top deputy, asking whether staff members could work the weekend. “Time is of the essence,” Lavin wrote.

State money that, now we hear of federal money tacked on, a lending program for people deemed bad risks by banks. Couldn’t be trusted.

In the rush to get the program launched, the Quinn administration hired a financially troubled West Side business development group to dole out loans, despite concluding the organization had recently misspent state grant funds.

The group, Chicago Community Ventures did not make a single loan, but was allowed to keep more than $150,000 when the contract was nixed, the Tribune has found.

No wonder they couldn’t be trusted.

End result of loan program?

Less than a year later, the state agency suspended the contract, records show. The group had not issued a single loan, according to a letter the agency wrote to CCV. Officials pointed to the May 2011 firing of CCV President Anita Hollins, who had been accused by her board of directors of misusing about $960,000 from a separate loan program not affiliated with the state.

So much for “job creation” by government agency, especially in Illinois.