John Morris, who was Mayor Dave Bronson’s leader for reducing chronic homelessness and street drug addiction, has thrown in the towel.
Sources in the Bronson Administration, say Dr. John Morris, a medical doctor who was new to politics, had enough of trying to work with the Anchorage Assembly, and couldn’t take it anymore battling the leftists. All he wanted was to get something done, and the Assembly opposes the Bronson Administration at every turn.
The mayor, Morris, and other team members have been trying to get the Assembly to agree to a navigation center for people who are experiencing homelessness, who are abusing drugs, and who need services. The center could help at least some of the homeless get on a path to a productive life.
The meetings with the Assembly has run the course of 22 meetings and over 800 hours since July. At times, even the mediators nearly called it quits over frustration with the Assembly.
The Assembly has its own ideas for how to address the problem, and has made it impossible for the mayor to get the hundreds of homeless men out of the Sullivan Arena and into more permanent and safe housing.
I want to thank Dr. John Morris for his service and commitment to the Municipality of Anchorage. The focus and mission remains the same in helping our city’s most vulnerable get the compassionate care and resources they need. That includes working with the Anchorage Assembly with the strategy that involves housing, transitional housing, supportive housing, treatment, and navigation centers,” Bronson said.
Read Dr. Morris’ op-ed, penned in June:
