Steve Brame stands with his family. Pictured are (front) Marisa, Kismet, Joan, Tasha, Aliyah, (back) Arianna, Zachary, Brame and Elliot.
On Jan. 22, longtime Lawrence resident Stephen Brame was voted to fill a 1-year unexpired term on council, which was vacated by Greg Puliti at the end of 2012.
Brame, an active member of the community, brings to the council a strong background in urban economic development.
Brame most recently spent 11 years on the Lawrence Township zoning board, resigning this year as chairman because he was voted to fill the council seat. In the time spent on the board, Brame had the opportunity to gain an understanding of Lawrence’s land use ordinance and township master plan.
“I felt it was an interesting way for me to be involved in the township’s development and growth, and to learn more about it, so I enjoyed that position,” Brame said.
He and his wife, Joan, have lived in Lawrence for 20 years, moving there from Trenton in 1993. Together they co-own Empower Fitness, a women’s exercise center in the Lawrence Shopping Center.
The couple has three children—Stephen Zachary (34), Elliot (30) and Arianna (26)—and two grandchildren. Brame’s two youngest children opted to attend the Lawrence Township School District, while the eldest decided to attend the Moorestown Friends private school.
Brame grew up in Trenton, where he attended the public school district until high school, and graduated from Cathedral High School in Trenton (which would later merge with Notre Dame High School).
His mother, Annie, worked for the state government, and his father, James, was a career soldier.
Brame, who still plays the piano, had always had a passion for music. He had set off to study music at Boston University, but before he graduated, decided to move back home for work in the early 1970s. He got a job with the Model Cities Program in Trenton, which fueled his interest in urban economic development.
A few years later, he went back to school, graduating with his undergraduate degree in political science in 1976 and with a law degree in 1980, both from Rutgers, and passed the New Jersey State Bar.
Brame’s career remained focused on urban economic development. He’s held a number of positions, including Director of Urban Programs for the New Jersey Department of Commerce and Economic Development, Manager of Community Programs of the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency, vice president of A Better Camden Corporation (was a wholly owned subsidiary of NJHMFA), and Director of Economic and Community develoment for the Borough of Carteret, as well as practicing at a private law firm.
From 2005-2010, Brame worked as executive director for Habitat for Humanity in Trenton, and most recently worked as the Chief Operating Office of the Asbury Park Housing Authority in 2011.
At 63, Brame is in what he calls “semi-retirement.”
“If I find something really interesting, I’m back at it,” he said.
When the position on council opened up, Brame said, it was an opportunity he felt he shouldn’t overlook. His decision to take the council seat, he said, was based on his knowledge of the town and interest in contributing.
“I feel as though I have something that can be offered to the township, having been a part of it for 20 years, and having a sense of what many of the issues are that affect the community of today,” he said, “particularly those with budget shortfalls, and the constraint of having to meet minimal and basic services presents a challenge.”
Brame said he looked forward to working with the council to address the many issues, primarily budget issues, that have plagued the township for the past year, and hoped to discuss creative methods to ramp up revenue without relying solely on current and delinquent taxes.
One of his plans is to examine township assets as resources for revenue enhancement.
“Many residents are experiencing a lack of income potential or diminished income potential while also having to deal with rising taxes or services,” Brame said. “I know that the council is sensitive to that since we’re all residents, but we have to find some ways to generate revenue while cutting back on things we just cannot afford.”
In addition to being active in the Lawrence community, Brame just recently began substitute teaching in the Trenton school district.
Smart, kind, and family and community oriented were some of the words Eleanor Horne used to describe Brame. Before Horne retired from her position as the Vice President of Corporate Contributions and Community Relations at ETS, she had worked with Brame when he was executive director of Habitat for Humanity in Trenton, though she also knew him for several years prior, and said that his experience dealing with budget challenges allows him to see both sides of similar difficult decisions.
“It’s that view from the opposite side of the table,” Horne said. “I think he will understand how decisions from the government will impact the other side of the table, because he has been in the position himself. I think he understands in very real ways what happens when budgets are cut and resources are tight, because he had to manage an agency that dealt with budgets and all kinds of budget cuts.”
Steve Brame stands with his family. Pictured are (front) Marisa, Kismet, Joan, Tasha, Aliyah, (back) Arianna, Zachary, Brame and Elliot.,
