Clark Ray at the Wisconsin Ave. Giant.

DC Council at-large challenger Clark Ray is making Smart Growth a major campaign issue with a new video attacking incumbent Phil Mendelson.

Ray criticizes Mendelson for his seemingly-disingenuous foot-dragging on streetcars and for his opposition to the Wisconsin Avenue Giant. He also created a special page on Smart Growth comparing himself and Mendelson.

As Lydia DePillis points out, Mendelson has his strengths too in this area, like a stellar environmental record and good work chairing the Public Safety and Judiciary Committee, including sticking up for pedestrian safety.

DePillis also gives us a nice compliment:

The most interesting thing about Ray’s video, though, is that the smart-growth crew has made itself into a constituency to be courted. It centers around Greater Greater Washington, where Ray clearly got much of his ammunition. But its power became clear when thousands of calls, e-mails, and tweets poured in to defend streetcars when they were threatened by Vince Gray’s 2:00 a.m. switcharoo. That’s what political power is: When elections become about your issues, you’ve essentially won.

Aw, shucks.

Here’s the video:

David Alpert created Greater Greater Washington in 2008 and was its executive director until 2020. He formerly worked in tech and has lived in the Boston, San Francisco Bay, and New York metro areas in addition to Washington, DC. He lives with his wife and two children in Dupont Circle.