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 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.