Nomiki Konst had just wrapped up a CNN hit in January when she got a text from Bill de Blasio asking her to lunch. As a political-communications consultant and commentator, Konst traveled in the same circles as the former mayor, so she wasn’t surprised. “A lot of politicians who are no longer in office just like to be in the mix,” she says. Over Italian food at Bar Toto in Park Slope, the two talked politics but also about their family histories — Konst is of Greek descent, while de Blasio’s family is from Naples — and a book Konst had been researching. At one point, Konst excused herself to go to the bathroom. “I remember looking in the mirror and thinking, What the hell is happening? Am I hitting it off with Bill de Blasio?”
