New York One:

When it comes to extending term limits, an exclusive NY1 News poll released Thursday found that three-quarters of polled New Yorkers want to decide on the issue in a referendum.

“The absolute headline in this poll is that three-quarters of the voters say let us be the ones to decide,” said pollster Mickey Blum of Baruch College.

The poll asked, “Who do you think should decide whether term limits should be changed?” A vast majority - 75 percent - said the voters should decide in a referendum. Only 10 percent said the city council should decide and 14 percent said it doesn't make a difference.

“I think that again, if we have a really good mayor in office, and he’s doing really wonderful things for the city, that if he can win again, more power to him,” said a voter.

New Yorkers have approved the idea of term limits in two separate elections, and they continue to think it is good policy by a margin of 2-to-1.

When the poll asked, “In general, do you favor or oppose setting limits on the number of years city elected officials can hold office,” 62 percent were in favor while 33 percent said they opposed the idea.

However, when it came to the specifics of Mayor Michael Bloomberg's plan, the numbers reveal that New Yorkers are much more conflicted.

Fifty percent say they oppose his plan, while 44 percent say they are in favor of the mayor's quest to allow elected officials to run for a third consecutive term. Given the margin of error of four percentage points, it’s a statistically insignificant difference:

“We found the city is divided on the issue of the mayor's specific bill to extend to three terms instead of two terms, people are quite divided on this,” said Blum.

Hey mayor, if you really care about your legacy, try the ballot box. You have a fighting chance, but if you ram this through the Council, here's a prediction: you're going to lose.