It has been a long hot summer in Montgomery, and I do not mean at the Capitol or statehouse but in the city of Montgomery itself.

There is a heated and pivotal mayor’s race. It has been considered a foregone conclusion Montgomery will elect its first African-American mayor this year. It is probably about eight years later than expected. Montgomery has been a majority minority city for a decade. It is well over 60% today.

Steve Flowers is Alabama’s leading political columnist. His weekly column appears in more than 60 Alabama newspapers. He served 16 years in the state legislature. Steve may be reached at www.steveflowers.us.