It’s gotten to the point where Mayor Bill de Blasio’s press folks figure they can justify his latest trip out of town by pointing out that it means he won’t be in a position to kill another groundhog.
That’s supposed to excuse his trip (not at taxpayer expense this time) to Los Angeles to tape HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher”? Whatever.
Yet this will be the fourth straight year the mayor has skipped the Groundhog Day festivities at the Staten Island Zoo. He hasn’t been back since that fateful day in 2014 when he dropped Chuck’s 10-month-old stand-in, Charlotte, who ended up dying a week later from “acute internal injuries.”
So, yeah, he won’t be missed — by the animals at the zoo, or by the locals.
Instead, City Council Speaker Corey Johnson will fill in Saturday. And CoJo shows every sign he knows how to play the game.
“This is one of those great New York traditions, so I couldn’t be happier to be taking part in the Groundhog Day ceremony at the Staten Island Zoo,” he told The Post. “I’ve never met Chuck, but I’m a huge fan of his work. I promise New Yorkers I will do everything I can to give us an early spring.”
Beware, Mr. Speaker: When it comes to warmer weather after this past week, New Yorkers are going to want results.