February 2017 – Page 58 – Welcome to Wyandotte Daily!

Mayor Holland running for re-election

Mayor Mark Holland is running for re-election as mayor and CEO of the Unified Government.

He is running for a second term as mayor-CEO, originally elected four years ago. Holland filed for the office on Monday, Feb. 6, according to the mayor’s spokesman. The election commissioner confirmed on Wednesday that Mayor Holland was the first candidate this year to file for mayor.

This year’s campaign is different, as the election date has moved from the spring to the fall. Also, the time between the filing deadline of June 1 and the primary election in August, and the time between the primary election and the general election in November, is much longer than in previous years’ spring elections.

Mayor Holland was elected to the Unified Government Board of Commissioners in 2007, representing the 1st District, at-large, and was re-elected to that post in 2011.

Holland has served as the senior pastor at Trinity Community Church, a United Methodist congregation in Kansas City, Kan., since 1999. His family has served as clergy members in Kansas City, Kan., for three generations.

He has a Bachelor of Science in anthropology and Bachelor of Arts in philosophy from Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas. He also holds a Masters of Divinity from Iliff School of Theology, Denver, Colo., and a Doctor of Ministry degree from Saint Paul School of Theology, Kansas City, Mo.

He and his spouse, Julie Solomon, have four children.

Mayor Holland is an Executive Board member of the Kansas League of Municipalities, a member of the Governor’s “Border War” Task Force, and president of the Wyandotte-Johnson County Council of Mayors. He has served on many other community boards in previous years.

In 2016 he was named a Public Health Policymaker of the Year by the Kansas Public Health Association; and received the Adam J. Hamilton Vision and Leadership Award from St. Paul School of Theology. He has received several other awards in previous years.

According to his candidate biography, Holland has a passion for his family, church and improving the quality of life of all residents in Wyandotte County.

A Holland campaign statement released Wednesday said, “I want to continue the progress we’ve made on creating jobs, cutting taxes, and delivering quality services to our residents.”

Mayor Holland has a campaign kickoff event scheduled at 5 p.m. Thursday night, Feb. 16, at Tapatio Mexican Grill, 151 S. 18th St., according to his campaign website.

David Alvey, a member of the Board of Public Utilities, has also filed for mayor, according to the election commission office records.

A little more winter visits Wyandotte County

A dusting of light snow and light drizzle fell this morning in Wyandotte County.

The National Weather Service said the chance of flurries and the wintry mix continues through 10 a.m. Wednesday. Looking ahead, the temperatures will jump to a spring-like level on Friday.

Today’s high will be near 33, the weather service said, with a north wind of 8 to 14 mph gusting as high as 20 mph.

Tonight, it will be partly cloudy with a low of 16, according to the weather service, and a north northwest wind of 8 to 10 mph.

Thursday, the high will be near 35 with mostly sunny skies, the weather service said, and a north wind of 5 to 7 mph becoming calm.

Thursday night, expect a low of 31, with a south southeast wind of 7 to 11 mph, gusting as high as 21 mph, according to the weather service.

Friday, the high will be near 65 with a south southwest wind of 11 to 15 mph, gusting as high as 28 mph, the weather service said.

Friday night, the low will be around 46, according to the weather service.

Saturday, it will be partly sunny with a high of 68, the weather service said.

Saturday night, look for a low of 41, according to the weather service.

Sunday’s forecast is mostly cloudy with a high near 50, the weather service said.

Sunday night, the low will be around 28, according to the weather service.

Monday, it will be sunny with a high near 51, the weather service said.

Victims of double homicide identified

Two victims of a double homicide in the 400 block of Greeley Avenue have been identified, according to a Kansas City, Kan., police spokesman.

The victims were James Christopher III, 46, and Alfred Vine Jr., 29, both residents of Kansas City, Kan., the spokesman said.

Police responded to a call about 11:30 a.m. Feb. 7 that two persons had been shot in the 400 block of Greeley Avenue, the spokesman said. They found two men, deceased from apparent gunshot wounds, according to police.

The Kansas City, Kan., Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division is investigating, the spokesman said. Anyone with information is asked to call the TIPS hotline at 816-474-TIPS.