Frank Gambatese died after a brief illness, according to South Brunswick Township Manager Bernard Hvozdovic.
SOUTH BRUNSWICK -- The longest serving mayor in township history died Saturday morning after decades of public service, according to township officials. He was 81.
South Brunswick Mayor Frank Gambatese died Saturday morning at the age of 81. Frank Gambatese died after a brief illness, according to South Brunswick Township Manager Bernard Hvozdovic.
Gambatese was in the middle of his fourth term as mayor of South Brunswick, where over his tenure he worked to attract hundreds of businesses to the town, including Target, Best Buy and Coca-Cola, township officials said. He was elected to his final four-year term in 2015.
The retired accountant was an alumnus of Rutgers University.
"It is with a heavy heart that I must announce that our beloved Mayor Frank Gambatese passed away," the township wrote on Facebook. "Please keep him and his family in your thoughts."
Before moving to South Brunswick in the early 1990's, the longtime Democrat served as the mayor of West Paterson, now Woodland Park, in Passaic County.
Gambatese was the deputy mayor in South Brunswick from 1998 to 2002 before he was elected to his first term as mayor.
"He was a great mayor and person," South Brunswick Police Chief Raymond Hayducka said. "His support during his tenure as mayor has been instrumental in the success of the SoutBrunswickck Polie Department. He will be greatly missed."
During the second wave of his political career, Gambatese was an advocate for preservation and open space.
He was involved in a five-year negotiation with New Jersey to get the state to purchase and preserve the once historic Princeton Nursery site, which ended in a $2.8 million investment by the state. The investment was part of a 187-acre preservation partnership with the state Department of Environmental Protection's Green Acres Program, Princeton University and South Brunswick Township.
The former mayor was also responsible for securing $11 million in federal grants to widen Route 1.
In 2015, he was elected into New Jersey League of Municipalities Hall of Fame.
Gambatese is survived by his two sons, Franc Jr. and John Paul; three daughters, MaryAnne Bross, Rosemary Peng and Christine Alencewicz; and 11 grandchildren.
His wife of 54 years, Ellen Marie, died in 2012.
Craig McCarthy may be reached at CMcCarthy@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @createcraig and on Facebook here. Find NJ.com on Facebook.