WASHINGTON, D.C., October 17, 2019 – His Excellency Sidney Collie, Bahamas Ambassador to the United States and Permanent Representative to the Organization of American States (OAS), and Mr. Theo Neilly, Bahamas Consul General to Washington, D.C., paid a courtesy call on District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser on Wednesday, October 16, 2019.
The two Bahamian diplomats were accompanied by Ms. Tracee Dorestant, Second Secretary at The Bahamas Embassy; Ms. Janine Gibson, Vice Consul at the Bahamas Embassy Consular Annex; and Mr. Chris Gardiner, a Bahamian who owns a successful accounting firm in Washington, D.C. and was instrumental in arranging the courtesy call through the Caribbean-American Political Action Committee.
The meeting was an opportunity for Ambassador Collie and Consul General Neilly to officially thank the Mayor and residents of the District of Columbia for their overwhelming support, generosity, care and concern for the people of The Bahamas in the aftermath of the catastrophic damage caused to Grand Bahama and Abaco, two islands in the Northern Bahamas, during the first week of September.
Ambassador Collie and Consul General Neilly informed Mayor Bowser of the tremendous relief, response and rebuilding efforts that are currently ongoing in the affected islands.
A native of Washington, D.C., as Mayor of her hometown, “Muriel Bowser is committed to building pathways to the middle class and making sure every Washingtonian gets a fair shot,” according to the Office of the Mayor’s website.
“Washington, DC is a growing and prospering city—now more than 700,000 residents strong. To keep up with this growth, the Bowser Administration remains focused on making DC’s prosperity more inclusive, advancing DC values, ensuring that families and workers across the income spectrum can afford to live and thrive in DC, and building safer, stronger, and healthier neighborhoods across all eight wards of the District,” the website states.
Noting that Muriel Bowser became the first woman ever re-elected as the Mayor of Washington, D.C. on November 6, 2018, and the first mayor to earn a second term in 16 years, the website adds: “During her first term, Mayor Bowser took bold steps to expand employment opportunities, build a health care system that meets the needs of residents in every corner of DC, drive down homelessness, and invest in programs and policies that set more families up for success. Today, Washington, DC is a diverse and inclusive city, a leader in tech and innovation, and a place where residents and entrepreneurs of all backgrounds can thrive.”
Mayor Bowser served as the Ward 4 Councilmember on the Council of the District of Columbia prior to becoming Mayor. She was first elected City Council in a special election in 2007 and re-elected in 2008 and 2012. A
“As a Councilmember, Bowser served as the Chairwoman of the Committee on Economic Development, which created more than 5,000 units of affordable housing, passed legislation to build a new soccer stadium and secured from the federal government the best portion of the Walter Reed campus for DC.,” according to the website.
Mayor Bowser, who earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Chatham University and a Master’s degree in Public Policy from American University, entered public service as an Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner in the Riggs Park neighborhood of Washington, D.C.
