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.