Quinn's Chief Strategist cut his political teeth at HHS

Illinois Governor Pat Quinn's Chief Political Strategist Bill Hyers learned to love politics at Harrisburg High School.

At that time Hyers went by the name of Andrew "Andy" McIntyre. Hyers attended part of seventh grade at Malan Junior High before his family moved to West Frankfort and he returned to Harrisburg High School two years later, graduating with the Class of 1993.

"I had very mediocre grades, but I squeaked through," Hyers said.

Hyers was born in Kewanee and his family relocated many times before reaching Harrisburg from North Carolina. It is accurate to say he is an Illinois native, but his roots are not deep in this state.

"People have asked all my life 'Where are you from?' I don't really have a good answer for that," Hyers said.

He said much of his time before coming to Harrisburg is a blur.

"I've always loved Harrisburg. I still consider it home as much as I have one," Hyers said.

His "granny," Virginia Hyers, lived in Harrisburg until about six months ago when she moved to Florida. Up to that point he visited her about every six weeks. For a time he lived in Frankfort, Ky., working on Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear's campaign and so it was not hard to return to Harrisburg to see Hyers. He was last here in early spring of 2013.

Virginia Hyers health began to fail and she moved to be near her Florida family.

Virginia Hyers was a regular at the Harrisburg Golden Circle and took it hard when the center was destroyed in the Feb. 29, 2012, tornado, Hyers said. She was Hyers' last link to Harrisburg.

But he says Harrisburg was a good fit for him at the time. He lived at the Saline County Housing Authority Barnett Street complex for a time and then his family moved into a house here.

"They had the rail bed walking path and I'd run down to Kroger - down to the levee - and back," Hyers said.

He made some good friends in school. It was during his time at Harrisburg High School he got enough of a taste for politics that he began to figure out what he wanted to do with his life.

He worked with the Saline County Democrats campaigning for President Bill Clinton and U.S. Senator Carol Moseley Braun. He admired Senator Paul Simon.

"I'm looking at a signed portrait of Paul Simon," Hyers said during a Tuesday phone interview from his Brooklyn, N.Y., apartment.

"I did some door knocking and put up some yard signs. I probably tore down some, too. I was as active as a high schooler gets."

After graduation he joined the U.S. Army Military Police. He spent his first year in South Korea and a year in Bosnia. The rest of his time was at Fort Carson, Colo.

In school and in the Army he felt that he stood out a bit for his Democrat Party leanings. In the Army he says he was the "token" Democrat.

After the Army he attended college in Minnesota, attending two years at Minneapolis Community Technical College and received his bachelor's degree in political science at St. Cloud State University. He attended one year in the Illinois State University graduate program, but launched his career before completing his graduate degree.

He worked on the campaign Carol Clark for state senate while attending college, but was first employed working on the campaign of Archie Rybak for mayor of Minneapolis, Minn. Rybak served as mayor for 12 years and just retired this year from that office. He has worked on over 30 campaigns in various capacities during his career.

"When you're young you go from three- to four-month campaign to three- to four-month campaign," Hyers said.

Beshear's campaign was important to him, as was Michael Nutter's campaign for Philadelphia, Pa., mayor, but he really became a national name as campaign manager for New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.

"We were in fourth place. Everybody was beating us. That was the biggest challenge," Hyers said.

Hyers said the key was sticking to a message of providing equality for New York City residents they were not getting from Mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration.

"We delivered a message of equality for the city. Not just to serve people of Manhattan, but Bronx and Queens and the equality message got through," Hyers said.

"We ran as the anti-Stop and Frisk candidate."

As chief political strategist for Quinn, Hyers will be working out of two offices, one in New York City and one in Chicago providing his expertise to guide Quinn's campaign workers.

The message will be that Quinn is working to bring the state out of the trouble it became under his predecessors.

"He inherited a mess. His two predecessors went to prison, he's got the state's house back in order. He's led when it came to those issues," Hyers said.

"The governor's a great guy. He has integrity that Illinois needs and we're going to talk about that."

Hyers said his time spent in Illinois can help the campaign.

"It's a state I know and love and understand," Hyers said.

"I know what it's like to be an an average Illinoisan and that brings a perspective that others don't have."

Hyers said both he and Quinn will be visiting Southern Illinois during the campaign.