The turnout was small for last week’s Arlington Civic Council meeting—perhaps the smallest of the 2005-06 year for the organization. The council meets at the Henry Kaufman Center on Salisbury Street the first Monday of the month from September through May.

Still, the Jan. 2 meeting was important: It brought together four of the nine people running for the unexpired City Council seat of Gene Ricciardi. After 16 years in office, Ricciardi stepped down from representing District 3 with two years left in his term after being elected judge for Magisterial District 2-27.

The official city website says a special-election date for the vacant seat will be announced in the coming days.

Despite the holiday—Jan. 2 was observed as New Year’s Day because Jan. 1 fell on a Sunday—fewer than 20 residents attended. Council President Mary Lou Simon considered moving the meeting but feared regular attendees might skip a different night.

District 3 candidates Bruce Kraus, Bruce Krane, Patrick Sweeney and Jeff Koch each spoke briefly, pledging to improve quality of life in the district, which includes the South Side Flats and Slopes, Arlington, Knoxville, Beltzhoover, Bon Air, Allentown, the Mount Oliver neighborhood/St. Clair Village, and parts of Carrick and Mount Washington.

Kraus, a South Side Flats businessman and president of the South Side Chamber of Commerce, said more of the city budget should be directed toward neighborhood improvements. All four candidates argued that government must focus more on working-class neighborhoods and less on large-scale corporate development.

Kraus added that his “hands-on” record sets him apart, citing the “Trash Bash” cleanup he helped organize last spring.

The candidates also vowed to address what they called a lack of police presence. “I am tired of hearing excuses from the police,” Koch, an Arlington resident and 20-year city Public Works employee, said. Several residents complained that understaffed officers sometimes treat victims dismissively. Koch said officers who do so should be reprimanded.

All four pledged to fight neighborhood deterioration by targeting graffiti, litter, broken sidewalks and overgrown lots. Koch said his ties to Public Works would help enforce anti-litter laws. He and his wife own two Arlington rental properties and demand high standards from tenants, a practice he said other landlords should follow.

Krane, a community activist who hosts a weekly show on Comcast Channel 21, urged residents to keep civic groups active while the city wrestles with its budget. Active organizations, he said, are the last line of defense against crime when government resources are scarce.

Sweeney, a public defender for eight years, said his negotiating skills could help the city secure more support from the state. He noted that Pittsburgh’s state-mandated bailout has been less generous than the aid Philadelphia received 15 years ago. Finding new revenue streams, he said, is essential; the city spends about 25 percent of its budget on debt service rather than resident services.

The special election is expected within 60 days. Several “Meet the Candidates” forums are scheduled: Jan. 10 at St. Paul of the Cross Retreat Center (7 p.m., hosted by the South Side Slopes Neighborhood Association); Jan. 18 at the St. Clair AA/Senior Center on Elsie Street (7 p.m., hosted by the 16th Ward Block Watch); Jan. 26 at St. John Vianney Parish Center on Climax Street (7 p.m., hosted by the Allentown Civic Association, The South Pittsburgh Reporter and the Allentown CDC); and Jan. 30 at City Theatre’s Lester Hamburg Studio (7 p.m., hosted by the South Side Chamber of Commerce, the South Side Community Council, City Theatre and The South Pittsburgh Reporter).