With another appointment lined up, Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio, who vowed throughout his campaign to build an administration that mirrored the city, laughed off the idea of hiring Republicans this morning at a press conference announcing his latest pick – Gladys Carrión as Commissioner at the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS).

“Let’s not get crazy about his diversity idea,” Mr. de Blasio joked when asked by a reporter whether he was considering appointees from across the aisle as he works to fill his incoming administration. The response draw lengthy laughs from Mr. de Blasio and some in the front line, including his wife.

Listen to the audio:

Still Mr. de Blasio noted that several of his appointees served under Republican and Independent mayors. “We actually had, if you look at the transition leadership through all the appointments we’ve made, we actually have people from the Dinkins administration, the Koch administration, the Giuliani administration and Bloomberg administration, so I am wonderfully agnostic when it comes to where people serve,” he said. “I care about what they did and I care about whether they share my values, whether I think they’ll be effective. And the folks standing with me here today are epitomes of that.”

“I haven’t set a goal around Republican representation … But we will look at any candidate for if they fit our values and our approach … You know what? It’s a free country. We consider Republicans, too. But they have to share our values.”

“That may be a high bar for some Republicans,” the Mayor-Elect added with a smirk.

(Jacob Kornbluh – YWN)