The maladies associated with faction politics are supposed to be controlled in the progress of democratization manifested in free competition in political markets, judicial independency, transparency in public policy making, consolidation of the rule of law, and the rise of civil society. In reality, however, the situation did not change too much regarding the dependency on personal network in political mobilization, the rent-seeking among faction leaders. How democratic institutions can actually change local political practices? Will party politics replace faction politics? Via intensive field studies this paper examines the case of Chiayi to demonstrate how civil society might be empowered through community-building policies and eventually infuse more concerns on public interests in local politics.