Joe Lhota is a big fan of Doris Kearns Goodwin.

The former Republican mayoral candidate last night ended his self-imposed media exile, giving his first interview to NY1 Political Anchor Errol Louis where he mostly praised his old foe, Bill de Blasio.

But Lhota also alluded to Goodwin's study of Lincoln – saying that the current lanky leader of City Hall should take a cue from another gangly politician and the "Team of Rivals" he assembled in the White House.

"Bill has surrounded himself with people who think like him and act like him," said Lhota. "And every successful executive that I have ever seen or studied always hired people with different points of view."

Lhota forcefully argued that a lack of ideological and geographical diversity may have hurt the mayor during his fight with the police unions.

"He needs to get that understanding to know what's going on in the community, and the community is not just progressive Democrats," he said. "He was surprised at what happened in the reaction from the NYPD and the PBA. He was stymied.”

But ideological clashes in administrations can cut both ways. De Blasio still bears scars from his days of working for David Dinkins, whose mayoral cabinet was often split between the hard-nosed Norman Steisel and the left-leaning BIll Lynch.

Still, it seems to make sense that de Blasio could use someone from Bay Ridge on his team that probably could hold a weekend meeting in the Park Slope co-op.

Lhota also put on his tactician's hat, ruling out a return to the political arena, saying  the political math makes it very hard for a Republican candidate to win a citywide race and noting that de Blasio's only possible threat could come in a Democratic primary.

But from defending the mayor's remarks about his police warnings to his son, Dante, to celebrating universal pre-K, Lhota had plenty of nice things to say about de Blasio. It's good news for the mayor – who still might be wise to listen to his old opponent and build a bigger tent.

 

Bob Hardt