Circus-free, Dell'Abate gets second term on board

Old Greenwich resident Gary Dell'Abate, also known by the moniker Baba Booey as the producer of "The Howard Stern Show," fixes his jacket just before being interviewed by the Representative Town Meeting's Appointments Committee at Town Hall Feb. 8, 2011. Dell'Abate was confirmed for a seat on the town's Board of Parks and Recreation. less Old Greenwich resident Gary Dell'Abate, also known by the moniker Baba Booey as the producer of "The Howard Stern Show," fixes his jacket just before being interviewed by the Representative Town Meeting's ... more Photo: Bob Luckey Photo: Bob Luckey Image 1 of / 11 Caption Close Circus-free, Dell'Abate gets second term on board 1 / 11 Back to Gallery

Three years after his contentious initial appointment to the Board of Parks and Recreation, Gary Dell'Abate -- also known as the Howard Stern Show sidekick Baba Booey -- cruised into a second term this week. With none of the circus that surrounded Dell'Abate's first effort to land a seat on the board, the Representative Town Meeting voted unanimously Monday night to reappoint him, 166-0, with one abstention.

Dell'Abate said the overwhelming support -- well up from his 119-64-7 vote in 2011 -- was vindicating, reflecting three years of hard work to better the town's facilities and offer new opportunities for its residents. In his first run for the board, he struggled to separate his high-profile job from his role as a Greenwich resident and family man.

Three years later, Dell'Abate said his record was finally able to speak for itself.

"I'm very grateful for the unanimous vote," he said. "I worked really hard, did my job and got great recommendations. I'm grateful that everyone noticed that, and I'm grateful for the vote of confidence."

Bolstering the vote were endorsements from the RTM's Parks and Recreation and Appointments committees. Over the course of his three-year term, they noted, Dell'Abate had only missed one board meeting.

"He is very knowledgeable and very interesting to interview," Parks and Recreation Committee Chair Karen Sadik Kahn told the RTM.

"Since joining the Parks and Rec Board three years ago, he has immersed himself in the business of the board. He has served on the fields subcommittee and has been instrumental in creating new policy. He give preference to youth, nonprofits, teams and families."

The smooth ending, however, does not mean there weren't any bumps along the way to a second term.

Dell'Abate's renomination bid briefly became reminiscent of 2011 when a member of the Appointments Committee in May told the candidate that she would not support him because he "abused people." Infuriated, Dell'Abate stormed away from the meeting and lodged a complaint with the Board of Selectmen. The incident later became the center of a public spat between Selectman Drew Marzullo and RTM Moderator Tom Byrne after Marzullo demanded that a review of Appointments Committee conduct be undertaken.

At the outset of Monday's RTM meeting, it appeared controversy could flare once more. Byrne announced Dell'Abate's reappointment would be considered separately from other appointment items on the RTM's docket, sparking a tense, Town-Hall-Meeting-Room-spanning shouting match with District 8 Chairman Chris von Keyserling. Von Keyserling demanded explanation why the item was being treated separately, which Byrne refused to answer, and then requested an appeal, which Byrne refused to grant.

But when the item went up for discussion, no one took the stand. Dell'Abate's approval was announced minutes later.

Now, Dell'Abate said he's ready to get back to work. Early priorities include building a new field house for the Greenwich High School athletic fields and assembling a committee to explore improvements to the Greenwich Civic Center in Old Greenwich.

"Before we can figure out what we can do with (the Civic Center), we need to know what the town needs to have," he said. "It's a multi-functional, multigenerational facility, a place that can do a lot things."

The next three years, he said, will be more of what the board has come to expect: hard work, dedication and leaving his day job at the door.

"I'm happy to have another three years and glad people appreciate the work I've done," Dell'Abate said. "I want to thank everyone for that."