CNBC Regular May Run

Don Peebles,a real estate magnate who is a frequent guest on CNBC,is apparently contemplating running for mayor of Washington,D.C.,where he was born and served as a Congressional page in the 1970s,beginning a lifelong interest in government.Mr.Peebles,a regular on the "Squawk On The Street" early morning broadcast,is reportedly consulting with media and campaign advisors to assess his chances of unseating incumbent Adrian Fenty,who has come to be seen as aloof and divisive by many.Mr.Peebles has a home in the Cleveland Park neighborhood of the District,commuting between there and Miami,Florida,where his main business interests are located.Married and the father of two,Mr.Peebles,who is 50 years old, began his career in the real estate appraisal line,eventually serving on the District's tax appeals board under controversial Mayor Marion Barry,who continues to serve on the city council.
By 1986,Don Peebles had gone into commercial real estate development in the District,moving on to Florida when he came under intense criticism for cronyism with regard to a 48 million dollar deal he entered into with the Barry administration.He gravitated to city government in Miami Beach as well,jointly developing oceanfront and luxury property there with the municipality.
The primary election is on September 14.Mr.Peebles says he is prepared to spend 8 million of his own money on his prospective candidacy.He is believed to be worth around 350 million dollars.Mr.Peebles was a supporter of the Obama presidential campaign,which he discussed on his CNBC appearances.

Shop Talk

A special greeting to Delaware,where I advertised this week.You are the domicile of many corporations,a business center for the region and the nation.Delaware is a logical place for a business publication to reach out.The motorists of the Washington metropolitan area are not reaching out to the Inauguration.They are bitterly critical of the extensive security measures being imposed,such as closing the major bridges from Virginia into the District of Columbia to private cars.These are the same voters who largely supported Mr.Obama in November.They chose this charismatic figure,a man who can draw millions from both home and abroad;now they regret the consequences.His entire presidency may be a special challenge for security agents and motorists wherever he travels.Not that it won't be worth it-that remains to be seen.

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A special greeting to Massachusetts,the state that is as difficult to spell as Mississippi.The weekend focus,however, will be on Washington,D.C.,where the G20 leaders will be meeting to discuss the financial crisis.The G20 are the biggest of the developed and developing economies.They will look at what new standards may be applied to the global markets,in order to prevent another crisis of this magnitude,and who should apply them.The International Monetary Fund has been mentioned as a prospective regulator.It was intended to take on such a task,it has been said.France and the U.K. intend to play a prominent role in the deliberations this weekend.They are pushing hard to get the problems addressed in short order.The conference is taking place at the National Building Museum,and is expected to be the first of a series.The world has never been so interconnected,yet the structures to manage the interconnections have not been updated for many decades,if they indeed exist at all.

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Today I extend a special greeting to Washington,D.C..I advertised there this week.I've been advertising in many foreign countries,so I want to turn to American cities as well.I can't take them for granted just because they're my own.Reporters will be working through the weekend as another investment bank crisis reaches a climax.Lehman Brothers(LEH) is expected to be purchased over the weekend.The story would be in the shape of the deal.Asian markets would register the first reaction to it on Sunday evening.