The Chron‘s Mike Snyder reports that Mayor White’s director of Neighborhoods and Housing has resigned, citing the desire to get his life back (not exactly using those words):
John Walsh, who signed on to help Mayor Bill White improve housing and neighborhoods for poor Houstonians and ended up directing the massive housing program for hurricane evacuees, has resigned from White’s administration.
Walsh, 62, said this week that the overwhelming challenge of housing evacuees had made it increasingly difficult to fulfill his other duties as White’s deputy chief of staff for neighborhoods and housing.
Heading the city’s Joint Hurricane Housing Task Force, Walsh said, “became more than a full-time job.”
[snip]
When evacuees began streaming into Houston a year ago after Hurricane Katrina devastated the New Orleans area, Walsh took charge of a program that would provide free rent and utilities to some 35,000 evacuee households in apartments throughout the Houston area. His staff of three expanded to more than 600.[Wow!]
“We worked 12 to 14 hours a day, seven days a week, for five months,” Walsh said.
Walsh’s duties will be divided among various city officials, but his position will not be filled, mayoral spokesman Frank Michel said.
One can hardly blame the guy.
