As chairman of the Perry County Commission, Johnny Flowers likes to think of himself as one of a new breed of elected county official.

Less demagoguery, more professionalism.

Never mind that Flowers represents one of the least populous counties in the state. (Perry county is home to roughly 12,000 souls.) The problems facing Perry County, he insists, are much the same as those facing the state’s larger counties. &uot;They just have more money to manage,&uot; he quips.

And, sooner or later, solving those problems always come back to managing money.

Recently, Flowers was installed as president of the Alabama Association of County Commissioners. He is the first person from Perry County to hold that distinction.

Greater access to the governor is just one of the benefits of heading what he describes as a sort of statewide lobbying group.

Among the issues championed by the association in recent years is a $250 million package for improving the state’s roads and bridges and an omnibus pay bill for all county officials.

Prior to the passage of the pay bill, sheriffs, probate judges, tax assessors and other elected county officials often lobbied the Legislature separately whenever they wanted a raise. In practical terms that meant that somebody, somewhere, was lobbying for a raise just about all the time.

Just about the hottest item being pushed by the association today is home rule, which would grant counties greater leeway to decide local issues. Currently, that power rests with the Legislature.

As an example of the ludicrous extremes to which the lack of home rule forces counties to go, Flowers cites the recent decision by the Perry County Commission to establish a junior commission composed of area students.

But before the commission could do that, it had to get approval from both the Legislature and voters statewide. Hardly, Flowers adds, the most efficient method of operation.

A contractor by trade, Flowers specializes in building &uot;nothing but churches.&uot; He estimates he’s been building two or three a year now for more than 30 years.

His political career came about almost by accident.

He was sitting at home watching a Braves baseball game when elections for the newly redistricted county commission were announced.

Recalls Flowers, &uot;My wife asked, ‘Are you going to see what that’s all about?’ I told her no. Then she said, ‘Well, you know, we have our children’s future to think about. …’&uot;

Needless to say, the chagrined Flowers did attend the meeting and was eventually elected to office in 1988. It’s been a learning process ever since.

Somewhat surprisingly, he discovered politics to be to his liking. &uot;I’m one of those people, I love solving problems,&uot; he explains.

Flowers insists that no one is more surprised at his success in the political arena than he is.

And that, he adds, speaks well of the entire state.