Mayor Bloomberg distanced himself from embattled Brooklyn Democratic boss Vito Lopez amid a growing scandal over the management of a network of not-for-profits he is closely connected to.

After being reelected to a two-year term as party leader Monday night, Lopez told reporters he expected a call from the mayor.

�I think the mayor probably, hopefully he�ll call me up and tell me congratulations about being the county leader,� Lopez said.

But Lopez ought not wait by the phone.

When asked today whether he called Lopez � also a state assemblyman � to congratulate him on his re-election as party leader, the mayor gave an uncharacteristically sharp answer about someone he has long considered a political ally.

�If he said that I didn�t hear it and I�m not in the business of congratulating people in their political machine kinds of things,� Bloomberg said at a City Hall press conferenc.

�Beats me: If that�s what the public wants or the Democratic Party wants, they�ve got a right to elect him,� the mayor continued.

The city Department of Investigation last week released a bombshell report on the Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Citizens Council, a massive nonprofit with close ties to Lopez.

The mayor has previously defended Lopez amid the revelations about the nonprofit.

(Source: NY Post)