Gearing up for the general elections, Republican mayoral hopeful Joe Lhota took a clear distance from his Democratic rivals on education. In a speech to the Association for a Better New York Thursday morning, Mr. Lhota lauded mayor Bloomberg for achieving “incredible” results, and admonished his Democratic rivals for failing to give him equal praise.

“I look at the great success of the Bloomberg administration with the education system in our City and I ask, ‘Where are the other elected officials? What are they saying? Where is the support of these officials for the achievements of Mayor Bloomberg. Why aren’t they rallying around him?’” he said. “The answer is: They are afraid.”

In an interview with WCBS 880′s Steve Scott in the Eye on Politics segment on Thursday, Mr. Lhota warned that everything great that has happened over the past 20 years is quite fragile and he said this election is going to have consequences.

“We need to elect someone who is going to continue all of the great things that have happened in New York under Mayor Giuliani and Mayor Bloomberg,” he added.

“I’m going to improve the city schools when I’m mayor by focusing on our teachers and making sure that we have the best possible teachers,” Lhota told Scott. “You know, I actually think teaching is more than just a job. It’s more than just a profession. It’s a calling. Young people coming out of school who want to help train young minds and educate them. That’s a special position and I want to help them become great teachers. If they have the calling, I’m going to spend the money necessary to make our teachers great. Great teachers are exactly what we need at all of our public schools to make sure that our kids are being properly taught.”