Here’s the latest addition to Mayor Bloomberg’s leadership team, former Indianapolis Mayor Stephen Goldsmith, who is coming in to take over the deputy mayor for Operations post Ed Skyler will vacated at the end of the day.

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If there was ever a hire designed to send a message that the mayor’s third term is not, as has been widely speculated, going to be just about marking time, this is it.

In fact, the word “innovation” – or some variation thereof – appears no fewer than five times in the press release announcing Goldsmith’s hire. (Subtext: This guy is going to shake things up).

Goldsmith’s most recent job as as director of the Innovations in American Government Program and as the Daniel Paul Professor of Government at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.

In his prepared statement, Goldsmith called the Bloomberg administration ” the gold standard for innovative governance – always willing to try bold solutions to complex, entrenched challenges.”

Since 2001, Goldsmith has chaired the Corporation for National and Community Service, which oversees the AmeriCorps program, under Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush.

Ben Smith sees Bloomberg’s latest hire as an attempt to revive “an almost lost strand of urban Republicanism” – an interesting move for a guy who may or may not be eyeing an independent run for the White House in 2012.

Gioldsmith, who, like Skyler, is a Republican, was mayor of Indianapolis from 1992 to 1999.

During that time, he focused on expansion of public-private partnerships and the revitalization of downtown Indianapolis.

“In Steve Goldsmith, we have found someone who – perhaps better than anyone else in the nation – understands the power of innovation,” Bloomberg said.

“Lots of people talk about ‘reinventing government’ – Steve Goldsmith has actually done it, leading the storied turnaround of Indianapolis. Since then, he has studied and consulted on management and governance in cities from coast to coast and around the world, and we consider ourselves very fortunate to have recruited him to New York City.”

“He exemplifies pragmatic, nonpartisan leadership, and we’re thrilled to welcome him to City Hall.”

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