Paul D. Fraim

Paul David Fraim (born October 26, 1949) is an American politician and lawyer. A Democrat, he was elected to the City Council of Norfolk, Virginia in 1986, was appointed mayor of Norfolk July 1, 1994 and re-appointed every two years until May 2006 when he became the first popularly elected mayor since 1916. He was twice re-elected mayor and did not seek re-election in 2016. He is the longest serving mayor in the history of Norfolk. Early life Fraim was born in Norfolk, Virginia. He graduated from Norfolk Catholic High School. He then went on to the Virginia Military Institute, where he was co-captain of the VMI Keydets football team. He received a B.A. degree there, followed by a M.Ed. from the University of Virginia and a J.D. from the University of Richmond School of Law. He coached football at both Virginia and Richmond. He began practicing law in Norfolk in 1977. For a number of years, he was a law partner of Virginia House of Delegates member George Heilig. After Heilig's death, he left that practice and formed a new law firm, Fraim and Fiorella P.C. He married Elizabeth Peer, and they have four grown children: Annie, Katie, Richard and David.