My special teamers work so hard: Blas

Mayor de Blasio on Monday tried to justify his staff of nearly 300 “special assistants” by claiming that they work virtually around the clock pursuing his progressive agenda.

“When you have someone in those roles, they’re expected to work nonstop,” de Blasio said.

“And a lot of those folks work six and seven days a week and very long hours. And we get a lot done through folks who have those titles.”

De Blasio’s remarks came hours after The Post revealed that taxpayer spending on his vaguely titled aides ballooned nearly 25 percent, to $23.3 million, as he doled out raises and hired an additional 34 over the past fiscal year.

Hizzoner also took a shot at his predecessor, Mike Bloomberg — who had 109 special assistants on the payroll during his last full fis- cal year in office — by contrasting their political goals.

“We’re running this government very differently and we’re doing a number of things that weren’t touched at all in those years, and we’ve got to have the personnel to make it work,” de Blasio said.

He specifically cited his universal pre-K program and his plan to extend it to 3-year-olds, as well as “reducing crime and changing the relationship between the police and the community,” and his affordable-housing plan, which he called “the biggest in the city’s history.”

Left unsaid were Bloomberg’s accomplishments, which included turning a looming $5 billion budget deficit into a $2.4 billion surplus, boosting tourism after the Sept. 11 attacks and overseeing massive redevelopment in lower Manhattan, Long Island City and Brooklyn.

Republican mayoral candidate Nicole Malliotakis — who has called the number of de Blasio’s special assistants “unconscionable” — doubled down on her criticism Monday.

“Is that what 300 special assistants looks like?” she tweeted about a photo showing scores of workers gathered outside City Hall to watch the solar eclipse.

A lot of those folks work six and seven days a week and very long hours. Mayor de Blasio