Fla. developer may challenge Fenty

WASHINGTON - D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty may have some more competition for his job. A big time developer with deep pockets says he may run for the office. But first he'll have to move to the District.

Don Peebles, one of the richest African American developers in the nation, told the Washington Business Journal that Fenty isn't competent to be mayor.

"The current mayor lacks the integrity, competency, capacity and maturity to be an effective mayor, and he's unable to get along with anybody else," Peebles told the Business Journal.

The Florida resident alleges Fenty has given too many of the District's development deals to friends.

Peebles says he'll either run against Fenty or raise money for someone who will. He offered no timetable for making his decision.

Peebles, who lives in Florida, would need to move back to the District.

His spokesperson says Peebles is registered to vote in D.C., but but public records show he isn't and hasn't been since 1999.

WTOP's political analyst Mark Plotkin says if Peebles does run, he'll have trouble.

"He's lacking credentials when he himself does not care enough to register to vote," Plotkin says.

The D.C. mayoral election is set for Nov. 2, 2010, with the Democratic primary on Sept. 14.

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