No one should jump to any immediate conclusions about news the attorney for Mayor Cecil P. Williamson has requested his second extension in the court case against the mayor.

A criminal motions hearing is set for Sept. 17, at which time a judge is expected to rule on a motion by Birmingham attorney Bill Clark. Clark is seeking to delay Williamson&8217;s court date from October to sometime later, most likely early next year.

District Attorney Greg Griggers said such a move is routine at times. In this case, Clark said in his motion he has a conflicting case during the court&8217;s next term, which begins Oct. 29.

And while this is routine, we hope that Williamson and her attorney, Clark, will not seek too many delays. This is a matter that should be decided before voters go to the polls next year, if the mayor decides to seek re-election.

So far, she has made no public declaration of her future political intentions, but one can only suspect she would seek a second term. Despite the controversies that have surrounded her administration, she can point to successes as well.

But the bottom line is that the people of Demopolis deserve the opportunity to choose their leader without a potentially damaging court case hanging over the election.

Furthermore, we hope this matter is resolved prior to the qualifying deadline for the race. Everything should be cleared so the focus can be on issues &8212; not scandals.