Big Wins in Alexandria City Council for Smart Growth, Sierra Club

Smart growth was a big issue in Tuesday's Alexandria City Council race - and candidates who supported transit-oriented development won big:

Democrats in the city had split into factions in recent weeks leading up to the primary, with some opponents of the waterfront redevelopment plan and other development proposals throwing support behind a swath of new blood for the city council. But those forces of opposition weren't enough to carry the day.

"I had a positive message about how to deal with development pressures, and I think people appreciated that," [Tim] Lovain said.

"This anti-development attitude, I don't think was really that loud and strong," said Alexandria Mayor Bill Euille after the votes were tallied. "But yet, I think people are pleased with direction of the city simply because our quality of life, and we are doing all the right things and will continue to do all the right things."

Mount Vernon Sierra Club-endorsed Tim Lovain, Del Pepper, Paul Smedberg and Justin Wilson all won (and a fifth candidate, Sean Holihan, fell just short as he dealt with an unrelated problem).