Although current Berkeley City Councilmember Max Anderson is running unopposed for his seat in District 3 this November, residents say their satisfaction with the city government is mixed.

Anderson, who was first elected to the council in 2004, said he has made progress in the district in despite restrictive budget cuts.

"Unfortunately (the council) had to cut about $21 million over the last four or five years, but in doing so, we were able to keep the budget balanced and keep our services intact," Anderson said. "We've made progress in a few areas and I'm looking forward to addressing other issues over the next few years."

Residents stressed diverse concerns where city progress has been insufficient, from a need to decrease crime to a lack of parking and traffic control measures.

"It's like we're not even here," said Shirley Mitts, owner of Jack's Antiques, located in the district. "I don't think there's any representation to this area from the city government or from the City Council. Parking is really terrible because they've taken parking away from the BART station and that certainly hasn't helped matters any."

Anderson said the lack of parking has resulted from rising business popularity, and he hopes to address the situation by increasing public transportation to make people less dependent on driving.

Resident Nancy Threatt said crime and trash removal were important issues that need to be addressed.

"I think (representation) could be improved," she said. "I think we have a lot of crime in South Berkeley and there's a lot of issues that could be addressed better. I've been in South Berkeley for 25 years and we have trash all over the place."

Anderson, the first council candidate to run unopposed in more than five years, said he increased police patrols in the district, but that work on reducing crime is ongoing.

Resident Jeffrey Benefiel, who ran against Anderson in 2004, said no one is running against Anderson now because it takes a large amount of money to be a successful candidate.

"Unless you have a bunch of money, why?" he said. "It's incredibly cynical, but it's true. Unless you have 15 or 20 thousand bucks in your pocket to throw at a crack at the City Council, it ain't gonna happen."