 During her long mayoral tenure, Morton attempted to improve the town-gown relationship between Northwestern University and the greater population of Evanston.She was able to form a close friendship with Northwestern University president Henry Bienen and ameliorate the tension between Evanston and the University given her status as both the Mayor of Evanston and a proud alumna of Northwestern.Mayor Morton also worked with local community leaders and churches to create a safe zone and a ("time out") period of time that gangs would call a truce.