Bill Holland arrived in Springfield modestly but stayed for almost a half-century and became a revered public servant, mostly out of public sight.
What brought him here was a one-year internship after graduating from Seattle University in 1974 with a degree in public affairs. He was hired on full time by the House Democratic staff after the internship and rose within a few years to the prestigious position of director of the House Majority Appropriations Committee. Then, after detouring to Washington, D.C., for a few years, Illinois Senate President Philip J. Rock, D-Oak Park, brought him back to be his chief of staff for a decade.
“I first met Bill when he was appropriations director for the House Dems,” said Charlie Wheeler, a former Chicago Sun-Times reporter and retired director of University of Illinois Springfield’s Public Affairs Reporting program. “He became a good source for me and many other Statehouse reporters interested in budget nitty-gritty – as a straight-shooter who didn’t BS us as some other flaks and staff did.”
After nearly two decades as a loyal, dedicated staff person for the House and Senate, Holland was chosen by the Illinois General Assembly to become Illinois auditor general in 1992. That almost did not happen because some Republican senators initially voted against his appointment, considering him too partisan. Wheeler explained that Roger Sweet, who was Holland’s counterpart as chief of staff to Republican leader James “Pate” Philip, R-Wood Dale, intervened on Holland’s behalf. Sweet “went to bat for him and convinced Pate and the other GOP ‘no’ votes that Bill would be a good auditor general, and his nomination was approved on a second vote,” Wheeler said.
That was possible because of “the respect that Bill had earned and his reputation for honesty and integrity,” said retired UIS Professor Kent Redfield.
Holland proved to be exemplary as auditor general for 23 years. He earned the esteem of his staff and acclaim for nonpartisan fairness as his office audited state agencies’ financial records and compliance with laws and regulations. Especially noteworthy was the high regard that Holland had for the institutions and processes of government. He avoided press conferences and speaking to reporters on the record, preferring to allow the clear language of the audits and their findings to speak for themselves.
Except for once. After Gov. Rod Blagojevich boisterously objected to a scathing audit, Holland responded by announcing a rare press conference. Redfield said: “That event sent shock waves through the Capitol. Holland’s absence from the limelight defined his approach to his entire career in state government. Yet when the integrity and legitimacy of the political process was on the line in the eyes of the public, Bill stepped up to defend the institutions he had spent his public life strengthening. The performance, lasting over an hour, was both amazing and highly effective. I can’t imagine he thought he was doing something heroic. I am sure he thought he was doing what was necessary, what public servants do.”
Even as Holland excelled in state government for four decades, he also devoted himself to family and the local community. He was active on the Mini O’Beirne Crisis Nursery’s board of directors, serving as board president for two terms. He chaired a capital campaign and the nursery’s annual golf outing fundraiser. According to fellow board member Gina Kovach, he also “unpacked boxes for the holiday store and greeted children there as they came to shop. He helped score at our trivia night, he was ever-present at the golf outing, and he did all of this with a smile and a personality that was hard to beat.”
According to Holland’s obituary, he loved his work in state government but was “most proud of his three children, their spouses and his seven grandchildren. … He was a skillful handyman, principled gin player, above-average golfer (at times), fervent Fighting Illini basketball fan, dedicated saloon enthusiast and consummate good neighbor.”
Holland’s colleagues are unanimous in describing him as committed, if a bit demanding, but fair and compassionate. “He never cut corners or did a halfway job. He was fully present at all times, he worked hard, he was available, and he was a positive role model for everyone, including the staff and other board members,” Kovach said.
Though Holland strived to serve out of the public eye, people noticed anyway.
In 1990, he was in the first group of inductees – along with former Gov. Jim Edgar, who also began his Springfield career as a legislative staff intern – into the hall of fame recognizing former interns who went on to have distinguished public service careers. A plaque recognizing honorees in the Samuel K. Gove Illinois Legislative Staff Internship Hall of Fame hangs on the fourth floor of the Capitol. Then in 2022, seven years after he retired as auditor general, Holland’s national organization paid tribute to him by inducting him into the Hall of Fame of the National Association of State Auditors, Comptrollers and Treasurers. That made two hall of fame inductions for two different positions, 32 years apart.
“We could use a few more Bill Hollands, both here in Illinois and nationally,” Redfield summarized, with Wheeler describing Holland as “one of the finest public servants Illinois has ever had.”
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This article appears in Remembering 2024.
