Andy Manar

Early life and education

Born and raised in Macoupin County, Andy Manar grew up in Bunker Hill. He went to Bunker Hill Community High School during which time he developed an interest in politics. Manar credits his strong roots in public service to the late Senator Vince Demuzio who he met when he enrolled in a college course taught by Demuzio. Manar later took an unpaid internship working for the Senator's district office focusing on constituent services.

Manar attended Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville where he earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History and a teacher certification. In 1997, Manar was elected to the Bunker Hill City Council. In 2001, he defeated the incumbent mayor at the age of 25 to become the Mayor of Bunker Hill. During his tenure, the construction of an 18-acre city park, the city’s largest sidewalk replacement project, and housing rehabilitation for low income and senior citizens occurred.

Macoupin County Board

In 2003, Manar left the Mayor’s post to join the Macoupin County Board as its youngest member. After Don Denby retired, Manar was elected Chairman unanimously by his fellow board members in December 2004. During his time as Chairman, Macoupin County lost hundreds of jobs and a significant amount of its tax revenue when two of the county’s three active coal mines closed in 2007 and early 2008. Citing a fiscal crisis, Andy began enacting policies to save taxpayer money and run government on less resources. Under Manar, the Board in 2011 voted unanimously to cut their own pay and reduced the size of the Macoupin County Board by one-third, saving taxpayers more than $40,000 annually. The Board also repealed a costly pension plan that had been in place for elected officials. Manar also shut down the county-run economic development office and helped to create a new collaborative public-private partnership run equally by private business and municipal and county government. In December 2012, Manar stepped down after four terms as the County Board Chairman, in order to transition to the Illinois Senate being succeeded by Mark Dragovich. During his time on the county board, Illinois Senate President John Cullerton appointed Manar to be his Chief of Staff.

Illinois State Senate

In September 2011, Manar announced his intention to run for State Senate in the new 48th district which had no incumbent official. In the general election, Manar faced Republican candidate and Mayor of Decatur Mike McElroy. During the campaign, Manar was endorsed by the Illinois AFL-CIO, Citizen Action Illinois, Illinois Education Association, Illinois Fraternal Order of Police, the National Association of Social Workers and the State Journal-Registrar. Andy Manar won the election with approximately 55% of the vote to Mike McElroy’s 45%.

In his first term, Senator Manar has been an active legislator advocating for bills to make voting easier for college students, helping charities by allowing the Public Building Commission to rent to not for profit groups, curb new born infections of pertussis, rewarding state contracts to businesses that employ Illinois residents, working to reduce the discrepancy in funding for downstate school districts in Illinois and allow the Central Illinois Economic Developmental Authority to create Enterprise Zones which would make it easier to create and keep jobs in Central Illinois.

Committee Assignments

In the 99th General Assembly Senator Manar is a member of the following committees; Agriculture, Higher Education, Education, Labor, both appropriations committees and the Special Committee on Oversight of Medicaid Managed Care. He is also the vice-chairperson of the Executive Appointments committee. In the 98th General Assembly Senator Manar served as the sub-chairperson on the Subcommittee on Economic Development as well as on the Agriculture and Conservation, Executive Appointments, Higher Education, State Government & Veterans Affairs and both Appropriation committees respectively.