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. Political career Fraim served as chairman of the Norfolk Electoral Board. Fraim was elected to the Norfolk City Council in 1986, at a time when the council members were all elected at large. A 1991 Federal court ruling forced Norfolk to adopt a ward system, after which Fraim represented Ward 2 on the west side of the city. When the new council met for the first time on July 1, 1994, it chose Fraim as mayor. In 2006, Norfolk switched to a directly elected mayor system. Fraim defeated Daniel Montague 78% to 22%. He was reelected in 2010 He was again reelected as mayor in 2014, carrying 71% of the vote. He did not seek reelection in 2016, and was succeeded as Mayor by Kenny Alexander. Memberships He is a member of the board of directors of the Hampton Roads Partnership, and the Hampton Roads Economic Development Alliance. He has recently been re-elected to a two-year term as Chair of Hampton Roads Mayors and Chairs Caucus, having previously served as chairman from July 1996 through August 1997. He is a past member of the Board of Directors of the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce, Norfolk Division, the Kiwanis