Earlier this month New York City voters went to the polls and overwhelmingly voted to repeal the three term limit imposed by the City Council in 2008, but a leading civic group says the ballot measure didn't go far enough and they'll be demanding action.

New York Civic, a non-partisan good government group will pursue a public referendum to eliminate the controversial “grandfather” clause of the recently passed term limits ballot question, which exempts 34 incumbent politicians from being restricted to two consecutive terms.  The group says that the measure lacks teeth because the limit's full effect won't be seen until 2022.

“This referendum is not about term limits, it’s about respecting the will of the people,” explained the organization's president, Henry J. Stern. “It was bad enough that the City Council ignored the voters in 2008 to extend term limits for itself. It is outrageous that, after 74 percent of New Yorkers voted for two terms for the third time in a generation, 34 incumbents can still serve a third term because of a loophole snuck into the last referendum to benefit a handful of officeholders.”

While New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg has said that only those who were in office at the time of the 2008 Council vote, but not those elected afterwards should be allowed to seek a third term, the Charter Revision Commission saw differently -- instead exempting all officials not elected to a full term until 2013. 

“Although I supported the recently passed term limits referendum, I was very disappointed that the Charter Review Commission created this loophole for me and my colleagues,” said Councilman Eric Ulrich (R - Queens), who was first elected in a February 2009 special election said. “That’s why I am acting, contrary to my self-interest, to restore the trust of the voters who clearly intended for there to be two terms. This referendum will allow us to make things right again.”

Under the current law Ulrich would be allowed to serve until