Houston County Commission Chairman Mark Culver reflects on life in elected office

“I was 29 years old when I qualified; I had no intentions,” Culver said. “I just wanted to make it to the next day.”

Culver had been in leadership roles in his fraternity at Auburn University, where he got his business degree in 1978. He had become involved in the chamber of commerce. He liked public service but never gave elected office much thought.

It was 1986, and Culver didn’t think a Republican had much shot getting elected in Houston County.

A friend of Culver’s, Democratic State Sen. Chip Bailey, suggested to Culver that the shifting demographics of Houston County’s District 4 – which includes northwest Dothan and the county’s panhandle communities – were tailor-made for a Republican. Culver thought about for about 15 minutes, talked to his wife, and went all in on the idea.

Culver found someone to run his campaign. His family got involved and when it was all over, Culver became the first Republican elected to any local office in Houston County. He was re-elected to the District 4 seat in 1990 and 1994. Culver was appointed chairman of the Houston County Commission in May 1997 and was elected to the countywide seat in 1998. He has served in the position since – actually running unopposed in 2002, 2006, 2014 and 2018.

The chairman – the only commission seat elected countywide – is basically a full-time job.

“It wasn’t a plan,” Culver said. “I didn’t have a plan that, well, I’m going to run for this position, and I’m going to serve for a couple of terms and then do something different or run for state or any of that. It was a 15-minute decision.”

Thirty-six years later, he has no regrets. There are some things he might have done differently, but nothing he regrets.

Culver, 66, will leave office on Nov. 15, the day before a new county commission and chairman are sworn into office. Looking back on his years in office during the past few weeks, Culver has more than once said God put him right where he was supposed to be.

“To me, it’s a God thing because of the way it happened,” Culver said. “I don’t believe anybody is crazy enough to stay in this 36 years without God’s hand being on you somewhere. Who does that?”

Culver said spending that long in elected office requires the right temperament, especially when it comes to handling criticism – and a lot of it.

“Politics is a weird animal, and it’s changed so much over the years,” Culver said. “… I don’t let this stuff bother me. I don’t let the things people say about you, or the negative things people say, or the people who want to come and attack you at your commission meetings … I don’t let that bother me. That’s all just politics, and politics isn’t real life. Real life is your family, job, health, and that kind of stuff.”

The decisions made by elected officials and policies created by government bodies are important, Culver said, but politicians often overestimate their own importance and lose sight of the business they’re supposed to be doing.

“We are the governing body of Houston County; we represent the citizens of Houston County,” Culver said. “We transact the business of Houston County … We don’t need to get up there and embarrass our citizens and we don’t need to let anybody else embarrass our citizens.”

In his 25 years as county commission chairman, Culver has worked with a lot of local elected officials, and he said he’s seen the Wiregrass grow into a cohesive region that works together rather than against each other to make good things happen for everybody. He remembers when local elected officials rarely even spoke let alone worked together to bring an economic development project to the area.

Working together, he said, makes the Wiregrass more competitive against much larger cities.

“I’m proud of the fact that we have all come together and realize that there are no fences at our county lines or city lines” Culver said. “We all live in this region together, and what’s good for one of us is good for all of us.”

While he had given thought to running for state office at one point several years ago, Culver decided local office was where he wanted to be. He even considered running for one more term as chairman simply because there are so many positive things going on locally, especially with new companies and quality-of-life projects such as Dothan’s City Center project. It’s hard to give up an active role in all that, Culver said.

But Culver said he wanted to go out on his terms, and he wanted to retire while his health was good and he could still do the things he enjoys. He plans to travel and spend some quality time with his children and grandchildren. And, like many retirees, Culver said he plans to still be very involved in his community.

“If there’s ever been somebody in a position they’re made for, that’s been me in the last 36 years,” he said. “It’s a blessing to get up and love going to work every day.”