In 1982, he successfully ran for a seat in the
Alabama House of Representatives, defeating an incumbent. He left the House after winning the 1988 race for mayor of Huntsville, where he defeated five-term Mayor
Joe Davis. The appeal failed. In 1995, Hettinger decided not to seek a third term in 1996 election. He considered running as a Democrat for a
United States Senate seat being vacated by
Howell Heflin, but the primary went to
Roger Bedford, Jr. and the seat ultimately was won by
Republican Jeff Sessions. After leaving office, Hettinger returned to the private sector to co-found an engineering firm. ==Personal life==