Senator Frank W. Wagner was elected to the State Senate of the Virginia General Assembly during a special election in December 2000, winning nearly 70% of the electoral vote. He currently represents the 7th Senatorial District in Virginia Beach.
Prior to his election to the State Senate, Senator Wagner served in the Virginia House of Delegates for over a decade, representing the 21st District in Virginia Beach.
During his tenure in the House of Delegates, Senator Wagner served on several committees including Conservation and Natural Resources, Corporations, Insurance, and Banking, Education, Finance, General Laws, and Militia and Police. Currently, he serves on the Senate Commerce and Labor, General Laws, Rehabilitation and Social Services, and Transportation Committees and was recently appointed to the Unemployment Compensation Commission. Senator Wagner also serves as the Chairman of The Joint Commission on Administrative Rules and as the Chairman of a current legislative study on the Needs and Future of Manufacturing in Virginia.
Senator Wagner is best known for his efforts in eliminating the tolls from Route 44-Virginia Beach; establishing school crime lines in local high schools to make our schools safer; establishing elected school boards; expediting implementation of the Lake Gaston Pipeline; creating job training programs and addressing the concerns of our ports and maritime industries.
The American Council of Young Political Leaders selected Senator Wagner as an “Outstanding Young Legislator”. In 2003 and 2004, he received the Virginia Manufacturers Association’s “Industrial Strength Leadership Award” given to one Delegate and one Senator each year to recognize outstanding leadership on key industry issues during the Virginia General Assembly session.
Senator Wagner is a 1977 U.S. Naval Academy graduate and obtained a B.S. in Ocean Engineering. He then served in the United States Navy as a diving and engineering officer. After his service in the Navy, Senator Wagner went into business with his father and started a ship repair firm, Earl Industries, in Portsmouth.
Today, he is the co-owner and the executive vice president of Davis Boat Works, Inc., one of Hampton Roads premier small boat repair firms.