By OSWALD T. BROWN
WASHINGTON, D.C., December 22, 2023 — Former Georgia state Rep. Calvin Smyre’s nomination to serve as ambassador to The Bahamas was sent back to President Joe Biden by the U.S. Senate on Wednesday, meaning that Smyre once again has failed to be confirmed, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported on Thursday, December 21, in an article written by Tia Mitchell.
“Now, the president must decide if he wants to nominate Smyre to the post for a third time. The send-back means that for Smyre to get the post, he would have to start the Senate confirmation process over again since lawmakers didn’t move forward on approving him this calendar year,” the article noted.
Mr. Smyre, 75, was nominated by President Biden to become the next U.S. Ambassador to The Bahamas on May 16, 2022.
Currently a member of the Georgia House of Representatives for the 135th district, Mr. Smyre was elected in 1974 and is the longest-serving member of the Georgia Legislature.
Meanwhile, since Usha E. Pitts began her responsibilities as the new U.S. Chargé d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Nassau on New Year’s Day, 2021, she has been widely acclaimed locally as doing an excellent job as her country’s top diplomat in The Bahamas.
On September 22, 2021, President Joe Biden originally announced that he would nominate Smyre to serve as the United States ambassador to the Dominican Republic. On October 4, 2021, his nomination was sent to the Senate and was pending before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee when President Biden instead announced on May 13, 2022, his intent to nominate Smyre to be the next United States ambassador to The Bahamas.
Born in Columbus, Georgia, Smyre earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Fort Valley State University with a focus in business administration. He has served as a delegate for Georgia to every Democratic National Convention since 1980, and became the first African American member elected from Georgia to the Democratic National Committee in 1984.
If he had been approved by the Senate, Smyre would have been the first U.S. Ambassador to The Bahamas since Nicole Avant, who was appointed by President Barack Obama, and was ambassador from October 16, 2009 to November 21, 2011.
In the interim, a series of Chargè d’Affaires have headed the U.S. Diplomatic Mission in The Bahamas, the most recent being current Chargè d’Affaires Usha E. Pitts, who began her responsibilities as the new U.S. Chargé d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Nassau on New Year’s Day, 2021.
With a very contentious general election scheduled to be held in the United States in November or 2024, it is highly unlikely that the renomination of Calvin Smyre will be a priority for President, especially given that fact that Chargè d’Affaires Usha E. Pitts is widely acclaimed as doing a highly commendable job as the top U.S. diplomat in The Bahamas.
