With the state agency deep in bunker mode late last summer, RIOC Vice President Akeem Jamal disappeared. It was as abrupt as it was unexplained. Why? What happened? Where did he go?
by David Stone
The Roosevelt Island Daily News
“Akeem popped up on my LinkedIn,” an email told us, earlier this week. “I guess he’s looking for a job. Check out his interview with nywire on his page.
We couldn’t do that because, by the time we clicked, Jamal disappeared again. LinkedIn said there was no such page, but we dug in and found the NYWire article. It was a revelation.
Is This Why Akeem Jamal Disappeared?
Working at a generally disliked state agency, Jamal made some inroads as Communications Chief. He was visible. He talked freely with Roosevelt Islanders and was, in reality, the brightest face in a glowering crowd.
Like many in patronage-laden RIOC, Jamal claimed credit for unearned achievements, and his resume seemed creative. But he was a big deal, arm in arm with President/CEO Shelton J. Haynes, as the agency struggled to put a better face on its work.
The Very Image of Partnership, But Something Went Wrong
In the article, under a smile-filled photo of the pair, the caption reads “Akeem Jamal is working closely with RIOC CEO Shelton Haynes to transform Roosevelt Island inside and out.”
Try not to laugh.
Was what followed the death knell for his career at RIOC?
Even from outside the fogged glass, it did look like Jamal gained a lot of ground within the state agency in just one year. Was the ground shifting under Blackwell House?
After a lead-in filled with boasts about his achievements, Jamal said this…
“I wear many different hats right now. I’m working with CEO Shelton Haynes as a thought partner about programs we have in the pipeline. But I’m also transforming our communications in general, both internally and externally.”
That seemed to put him on or near a peer level with the reputedly insecure chief executive.
But potentially more damaging was this:
“Jamal plans for RIOC’s top brass to become familiar faces in the community…” first raised an eyebrow.
Then came what we expect was the crusher:
“I want the executive team to become more immersed in the public,” he explains. “I aim to increase tourism. I want to go ahead and make people feel good about where they’re from. That takes buy-in from our team and the community. I want to bridge that gap because that gap does exist. The best way to do that is by consistently being out there in public.”
Oh, brother…
Akeem Jamal disappeared, it seems, because – whatever his virtues – he did not understand those with whom he worked.
Those goals were not then nor would they ever be in play.
Days after this interview appeared online, Akeem Jamal was gone.
Emergency Without Urgency
When government invokes the word “emergency,” normal process changes. Timelines accelerate. Environmental review can narrow. Procurement pathways can shift.
Yikes!!!!
That about fits it, Regina.