1. We will be rolling out our endorsements for the November 3 General Election today. Stay tuned.

In the comments thread on Friday, PubliCola reader Pete tried to predict who we'd pick.



2. On Tuesday, we're going to be debuting a new video feature—The Warren Taste Test with Warren Etheredge.

Etheredge, of course, is the local "Movie Guy" who curated Bumbershoot's 1 Reel Film Festival for six years, started Seattle's Film School, and currently heads up the arts blog, The Warren Report.

Warren is going to be interviewing arty notables about town. His first installment is an interview with acclaimed Seattle filmmaker  David Russo, director and writer of Sundance Film Festival hit, The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle.

3. There was another televised King County Executive's race debate this weekend. This one on KOMO 4.

It was Saturday night at 9, so you're excused for missing it. Lots and lots of accusations and fireworks, though.



Things got particularly acrimonious during the discussion of the critical areas ordinance,  prompted by a viewer question from Kirkland:

"I want to know what you're going to do about keeping the rural lands rural..."

Constantine accuses Hutchison of being spineless and in the pocket of developers. Hutchison accuses Constantine of being an attorney. Constantine calls Huthison a liar. Hutchison says Constantine has 'declared war' on rural citizens.

I think they're both totally on game here, although, it is funny how the conservative Hutchison applauds activist judges.

Constantine: There are tremendous pressures out there to give up our farms and forests to  development ...  to endanger our streams and wetlands... My opponent is actively supported to the tune of a thousand dollar donation by the anti-environment statewide development lobby ... Now they're pouring thousands and thousands of dollars into the smear campaign against me ... As a member the county council I've worked to protect Puget sound fighting against the gravel pit on Maury Island that my opponent says she wants to green light. The next county executive is going to be faced with overwhelming  pressures ... We need somebody who's shown the spine to stand up to those big money interests rather than having them be your main campaign contributors. I'm the one candidate in this race who has the track record of standing up to those big interests and winning.

Hutchison: The critical areas ordinance is ... one of the reasons why I have so much support in our rural areas ... You know my opponent was the author and champion of the critical areas ordinance and as an attorney he wrote it and is very proud of it... and yet parts of it have already been struck down by the courts as unconstitutional. There is so much anger among our rural land owners about how our critical areas ordinance has taken from them their very land and ... My promise to you ... is that when we discuss these ways that we're going to preserve open spaces ... we're going to make sure that we allow all the stake holders a place at the table, we'll listen to everyone and we will provide a balance between our desire to preserve our natural environment and our desire to respect the rights of our citizens.

This is a very important question, and I love the fact that it was asked by a man holding his daughter in his arms because this is a question that will affect our future generations ... and I just want him to know that we're going to do everything we can to preserve our environment, but be fair to our landowners.

Constantine: I was not the author of the ordinance. What I was was the author of the amendments that made them easier for landowners to live with while protecting the values we all share ... That was very hard work, but you know what? These laws are all in place and constitutional, you're wrong about that. One has been set aside by a judge on a technical basis. But the work we did stands today protecting our environment.

Hutchison: Well one of those rural landowers said to me, 'Dow Constantine took my land away, and the courts gave it back.' ... I just wonder why Dow Constantine seems to have declared war on a lot of our citizens.

Watch the whole debate here.

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