The estimated shortfall for 2009 King County General Fund is now up over the $80 million mark. The deficit is quickly becoming the centerpiece of Larry Phillips’ exploration of a run against Executive Ron Sims that feels more and more like an actual campaign. While the County Council won’t get Sims’ budget proposals until October, this week they formally adopted a set of priorities that they say will be used to guide the final version of the budget this fall.The political firestorm surrounding the budget started with Sheriff Sue Rahr touring rural King County with a frightening list of possible impacts of the shortfall on policing. Phillips, and other council members, picked up on it and started slinging arrows at Sims over the ballooning size of the deficit, to which the Exec responded vehemently last week.