Don Peebles talks a possible mayoral run: VIDEO

"I would fund my own campaign," Peebles says

Bill Ritter and Don Peebles
Bill Ritter and Don Peebles

From the New York websiteDeveloper Don Peebles sat down with ABC affiliate Channel 7 News to talk about his possible mayoral run against incumbent Mayor Bill de Blasio.

News anchor Bill Ritter begins by asking, “Why would you want to be mayor of New York City?”

“I’m a big believer in that we have to give back to our communities and our society,” Peebles, who recently attended TRD’s “Closing Book” party, says. “I’ve been an entrepreneur for over three decades. I’ve been successful at it. And now I see that New York City is really going in the wrong direction and someone needs to do something about it.”

Peebles adds that he’s “disappointed” with the mayor, whom he once supported. “New Yorkers are disenchanted with the direction he [de Blasio] is taking us, and many of us have buyer’s remorse,” Peebles said.

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Asked if the mayor is simply looking out for the little guy (Peebles is worth roughly $700 million), Peebles responds, saying: “I think he is doing a poor job. Look I agree with the guy. I’m the product of the American dream. My two grandfathers, one of them was a doorman for 41 years and one was a janitor in the public school system in the segregated South. So I am a big believer in looking out for people that haven’t had a fair chance at life.”

But despite what looks very much like some early campaigning, Peebles says that he has still not decided if he will run. If he does run, Peebles added that he would fund his own campaign.

[ABC 7 NY]Christopher Cameron