President Obama has nominated David Adelman, a Democratic state senator from Decatur, as ambassador to Singapore, pending U.S. Senate confirmation, the White House announced Thursday. 

Mr. Adelman is a former assistant attorney general in Georgia and the current minority whip and chairman of the Urban Affairs Committee in the State Senate, where he has served since 2002.

He is an attorney for Atlanta law firm Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP, focusing on commercial transactions and litigation for renewable energy and technology companies. 

The appointment of Mr. Adelman as an ambassador has been the subject of speculation since news sources reported in June that State Department officials were asking questions about him around the Georgia Capitol.  Some foreign newspapers falsely reported that he was headed to Slovakia.

Mr. Adelman could not be reached immediately for comment. 

The senator served as a member of the Obama National Finance Committee during the 2008 presidential elections.

Mr. Adelman's appointment comes nearly a week after Mr. Obama made his first visit to Singapore during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation's annual summit.  The APEC forum of 21 nations is based in Singapore. Georgia exported $806 million in goods to the island nation in 2008.

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