On Tuesday, San Diego Mayor Bob Filner announced that he had selected Bill Fulton, this publication's founding editor and publisher, as the city's new planning director. 

Rather than comment on this surprising turn of events, we thought we'd simply provide a rundown of blog and media coverage. The surprise announcement took place early Tuesday morning before an assembled crowd that included some 500 employees of the city's Development Services Department.

Mayor Filner's official press release can be found here.

Almost before the press release was up, however Voice of San Diego had posted a blog highlighting "Four Things to Know" about the new planning director. (We particularly liked "He's Kind Of A Big Deal")

Later in the day, Voice posted a short Q&A that was conducted right after the announcement, which included discussions about San Diego's neighborhoods, Civic San Diego, use of Specific Plans, and Fulton's views on redevelopment. 

Later in the day, Roger Showley, the Union Tribune's longtime real estate writer, posted his version of events, complete with a photograph of Fulton with former planning director Bill Anderson and former city architect Mike Stepner. Showley and Fulton have known each other since the 1980s, when they were young real estate journalists together.

Later, NBC San Diego and the Ventura County Star, Fulton's hometown newspaper, also published articles -- and for once, the Star did not put the story behind its pay wall.