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Election roundup: Walczak says no to casino, Consalvo verklempt over foreclosed houses that are unkempt

Bill Walczak this week became the first mayoral candidate to oppose the East Boston casino. He details why:

As a person with a long career in public health, I know the social impacts associated with casinos. The consequences of adding a casino can be dire, especially for low-income and working class communities. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics the average salary for a Gaming Service Operation is $20,260 a year. These low-paying jobs will not sustain a vibrant community. A casino in East Boston will likely stifle the growth of the community and keep families from achieving middle class status. Beyond this, many studies prove that the economic impact of a casino is negative on a community. Casinos promoting local economies are an economic oxymoron — casinos extract money out of a local economy.

Rob Consalvo doesn't like banks that foreclose on properties and then leave them to moulder. He's proposing an ordinance under which banks that refuse to maintain their property would be billed by the city after it does the work, have a lien slapped on the property and then, if they don't pay the city within a year, the city would apply to take over the house, tear it down and sell it to a developer more willing to work with the city:

I don't care how big these banks are - if they own property in Boston - they will be good neighbors and maintain their property - or they'll find themselves foreclosed on and no longer doing business with the city.

Consalvo in front of a house in the Ozarks, um, Hyde Park.Consalvo this morning in front of a house in the Ozarks, um, Hyde Park.

David Bernstein pans Charlotte Golar Richie's feckless fizzle of a speech" at her official campaign kickoff.

On the plus side, Golar Richie has her own Android app.

Unions gave Marty Walsh a lot of money last month, but Dan Conley still has the most money left for the next couple of months of campaigning.

Hey, JP! Nomination papers become available Aug. 5 for people who want to run for a seat on the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Council, which may or may not be an official government body, depending on what day of the week it is and whom you ask.

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Comments

That violates one of the best freedoms we as American have. Land/Property ownership. The right to sell, transfer, rent, exchange, DESTROY or exclude other from doing so.

Good Luck! You'll need it.

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A fair position, as long as you're consistent about it. Are you willing to live next to the guy who keeps piles of garbage on his front lawn, or something similarly obnoxious?

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No i don't believe in allowing Gov. to steal property. Should they be find, Hell YES.

So you think the Gov. should just take back ares like Chicago. In one foul swoop declare any and all distressed property federal land?

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That violates one of the best freedoms we as American have. Land/Property ownership.

That's a right that Americans, meaning PEOPLE, have. Banks are not people and should have fewer rights than people.

I would prefer that an ordinance such as this be rewritten to encourage restoration, rather than demolition, of these houses.

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Actually it applies to legal entities also, as entities are owned by a collaboration of people.

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It may be common knowledge but I didn't know: Corporations can't donate to any Boston/Massachusetts candidates for office but unions can.

I find that disingenuous. (I think.)

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How are unions not corporations themselves? Their product is labor representation.

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"have a lien slapped on the property and then, if they don't pay the city within a year, the city would apply to take over the house, tear it down and sell it to a developer"

How do we know that tangling the property with liens and tearing down the building won't turn it into a permanent vacant lot?

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We should just let the developer sit on it and turn it into a vacant lot instead *cough*Filene'sHole*cough*.

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Boston can do better than using such prime real estate for a casino. We need a Mayor with this sort of courage and boldness.

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This is one issue I disagree with him on.

All the other stuff aside - if Boston doesn't get it - it looks like the Casino goes to Everett by default - so we get all the problems and none of the benefits. The choice isn't casino or no casino - it's casino in Boston or casino in nearby town.

Just like his (and everybody else's) opposition to WalMart - if you don't like it - don't go there. It's not like you are hurting anyone but your own city by keeping them out.

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