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Finding a good job is hard these days – especially if you’re a City councilmember.

With nearly all of the council scheduled to be vacated in 2009 due to term-limits, many are entertaining the idea of trying to extend their stay.

A majority of the council’s class of 2009, 27 of the 51 councilmembers, are open to the idea of extending the City’s term-limits to 12 years without a public referendum, according to a recent New York Times survey. The swell of support, despite the hazardous political implications, has been instigated by Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s not-so-secret desire to seek a third term and polls showing him as New Yorkers’ first choice in a hypothetical mayoral race.

But in Queens, where many of the councilmembers have already set their sights on higher office, support for the idea is mostly tepid – and sometimes hostile.

“I am extremely disturbed that ‘behind the scenes’ discussions are occurring in order to overturn term limits. The thought that City officials are once again ignoring the wishes of New York City voters by plotting to overturn term limits is offensive. Councilman Tony Avella (D-Bayside), who has announced his candidacy for Mayor, said twice the voters have indicated their support for two four-year terms for City officials. Their wishes could not have been clearer.

“I believe it is a betrayal of the public trust if the Mayor and the City Council overturn term limits. By campaigning for public office, we made a covenant with the people that we accepted term limits – eight years and out. Any attempt to amend the term limits law breaks that covenant,” Avella added.

Avella and four other councilmembers; Joe Addabbo (D-Howard Beach), John Lui (D-Flushing), David Weprin (D-Hollis) and James Gennaro (D-Fresh Meadows) have expressed total opposition to the idea without a public referendum.

“Elected officials are subject to the will of the people. My position, as it has always been, is that the only way to change term limits is through an official public referendum,” Addabbo said.

But all five of the members who voiced strong opposition are either engaged in other elections – Addabbo and Gennaro for State Senate, Weprin for comptroller and Avella for mayor – or have already begun raising money for future contests – Liu has not said what future campaign he is raising money for.

Of the nine Queens representatives who made statements, none of the councilmembers committed to a clear stance in favor of overriding term limits, but some expressed concern about the effectiveness of the current system.

“An extension only puts a Band-Aid on the fact that term limits don’t work,” Councilman Thomas White (D-Ozone Park) said. “I believe that the right to vote isn’t term limited.”

White said voters should never be barred from voting for a candidate, term limited or not – and that he was unsure why councilmembers should be limited when State Senators, State Assemblymen, U.S. Representatives a nd U.S. Senators are not.

“The issue needs to be revisited,” White said. “See if it works or doesn’t work.”

Other councilmembers echoed White’s sentiment.

“I don’t support the concept of term limits,” Liu said, despite voicing opposition to legislative action without a new public referendum.

Some councilmembers have also voiced concern about the City’s ability to govern if the mayor’s office and council seats are vacated at the same time in 2009.

“It’s irresponsible governing when you have so many people leaving office at the same time,” White said.

There are 14 City Council representatives in Queens. Anthony Como (R-Middle Village) and White are the only Queens councilmembers not facing term limit expirations in 2009.

With Election Day only two months away, a large scale public referendum would come too late to appear on this year’s November ballot.