Metro

De Blasio’s ‘real’ pals for mayoral run

Public Advocate Bill de Blasio is making improbable friends in an industry that’s far removed from his progressive politics: real estate.

“Bill’s going to be on the other side of almost every issue, but he’ll listen to you,” said an official with one of the city’s most prominent developers.

He said de Blasio is viewed as an antidote to Comptroller John Liu, a mayoral rival with a similar political profile.

“John has a calculus. If you don’t fit in, he won’t listen,” complained the industry official.

Even de Blasio’s close ties to municipal unions and the Working Families Party haven’t dissuaded developers who tend to be wary of both.

“I think Bill is Nixon in China,” gushed one Brooklyn developer. “He is associated with union leaders and can negotiate good deals [for taxpayers].”

Many developers are up for grabs in the 2013 mayoral race because of the demise of Rep. Anthony Weiner, considered the front-runner until he was done in by a sloppy Twitter tap that exposed more of his briefs than beliefs.

“Weiner was getting a lot of real-estate money,” said one insider. “They’re now trying to figure out where to go.”

Hooking up with well-heeled donors in the real-estate world would help de Blasio stake out fresh political ground while collecting some large campaign checks.

“People are going to be looking at his filing and [ex-Comptroller Bill] Thompson’s,” confided one political operative.

Liu didn’t appear too concerned by de Blasio’s inroads. “New York City is a real-estate town” he told The Post. “It would hardly be shocking for mayoral wannabes to seek real-estate support.”

david.seifman@nypost.com