By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
LAWRENCE — An honorable man who was proud and devoted to his family. An elected official who was interested in what was taking place in Lawrence Township and who always tried to make it a better place.
That’s how friends and colleagues described Township Councilman Stephen Brame, who died Wednesday. Mr. Brame, 65, had served on Township Council since January 2013, when he was appointed to fill a vacancy on the governing body.
Mayor Cathleen Lewis said she encouraged Mr. Brame to seek the vacant seat on Township Council, having served with him on the Zoning Board of Adjustment. Mr. Brame served on the zoning board from 1995 to 2012, including stints as chairman and vice-chairman.
“I have always been a fan and, I hope, a good friend of Steve’s,” Mayor Lewis said. “I was glad to serve with him. I am going to truly miss him on Township Council, and his advice to me.
“He always had (what was best) for the community in mind,” she said. “He was a very thoughtful person. He wanted to make sure that any decision (that he made) was the right decision, and would not have a detrimental impact on anyone.
“You couldn’t ask for more from a public servant,” Mayor Lewis said.
Councilman Jim Kownacki agreed that Mr. Brame was always interested in what was happening in Lawrence, and that he tried to make it a better place. He described Mr. Brame as a “very honorable man” who was committed to the community.
Mr. Kownacki was already serving on Township Council when Mr. Brame was appointed to fill an unexpired term. The two men ran together on the Democratic Party ticket in 2013 and were elected to four-year terms on the governing body.
“Steve and I served three years together on Township Council. We became like brothers. There are no words that can explain Steve and what he meant to the town. He was not an ‘I’ person. It was what he could do for the town,” Mr. Kownacki said.
In addition to his previous service on the Zoning Board of Adjustment and his current service on Township Council, Mr. Brame was serving on the Planning Board as the mayor’s designee. He was serving on the board of trustees of the Every Child Valued nonprofit group, which provides support for children.
Mr. Brame, who co-owned Empower Fitness at the Lawrence Shopping Center with his wife, Joan Brame, also had a private law practice. Over the years, he had served as the chief operating officer of the Asbury Park Housing Authority, and was executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Trenton.
He had been the manager of Community Programs for the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency, and vice president of A Better Camden Corporation.
Mr. Brame had also served as the director of Urban Programs of the New Jersey Department of Commerce and Economic Development, and director of Economic and Community Development for the Borough of Carteret.
