Complex sentence: At the time of the September Attacks, Eric is deputy mayor, trying hard to emulate his father; helping Johnston Green run the town from the background, often being Johnston's eyes and ears about the town.
Split into simpler sentences: At the time of the September Attacks, Eric is deputy mayor, trying hard to emulate his father, Johnston Green. He helps his father run the town from the background, often being Johnston's eyes and ears about the town.