According to his father, Holland showed an early interest in politics and public service. In 2011, the Board of Commissioners adopted the
Complete Streets Resolution. The purpose was to accommodate all road users equally by realizing a balanced road and trail network that safely moves people, not just vehicles. He left his Commissioner seat to pursue the mayor's office. In 2013, Holland became the 28th Mayor of Kansas City, Kansas and the 3rd Mayor/CEO of the Unified Government. His administration priorities were "economic development, innovation, and healthy communities." In his effort to better the health outcomes for KCK residents, Holland lobbied then
Governor Brownback to accept
Medicaid expansion, as allowed by the
Affordable Care Act. Holland called the expansion the single most important thing the state could do to help the uninsured in
Wyandotte County and that
Brownback's hard stance on work requirements did not consider the employment challenges faced by people with mental health and chronic health conditions. To improve the downtown KCK area, Holland unveiled The Healthy Campus project as a top initiative for his first term in a State of the Government address in 2014. He hoped for it to be a national model for healthy living in an urban area. The project envisioned bringing quality grocery stores to areas in need of access to better food choices, and offering amenities, such as greenhouses and gardens with edible fruit trees, and facilities, like a community center with Olympic-size pool for youth swim meets, that were accessible to all. In 2018, under the leadership of his successor, the plan was abandoned. In Holland's first year in office, the Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics announced
Wyandotte County created more jobs than most other counties in the metro area, with many of the new jobs coming out of the manufacturing sector. During his tenure, the unemployment rate fell from 7.6% in May 2013 to 4.5% in December 2017. With the state as a partner, Holland promoted a number of development projects. In July 2016,
U.S. Soccer broke ground on a National Training and Coaching Development Center in KCK. A week later,
Amazon broke ground on a 855,000-plus-square-foot fulfillment center that would pick, pack, and ship smaller customer items, such as books, electronics and toys. The company planned to employ close to 1000 people. In 2016, a consultant study, commissioned by Holland, found concerns with the fire department's shift allocation and overtime budget. Efforts to address these findings did not have support among Commissioners or the fire department union. In
2017, Holland lost re-election to a second term to
David Alvey. == 2022 U.S. Senate campaign==