Jack Wagner | |
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| 48thAuditor General of Pennsylvania | |
| In office January 18, 2005 – January 15, 2013 | |
| Governor | Ed Rendell Tom Corbett |
| Preceded by | Bob Casey Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Eugene DePasquale |
| Member of thePennsylvania Senate from the42nd district | |
| In office May 24, 1994 – January 18, 2005[1] | |
| Preceded by | Eugene Scanlon |
| Succeeded by | Wayne Fontana |
| President of thePittsburgh City Council | |
| In office November 6, 1989 – January 3, 1994 Acting: November 6, 1989 – January 1, 1990 | |
| Preceded by | Ben Woods(Acting) |
| Succeeded by | Jim Ferlo |
| Member of thePittsburgh City Council from the 4th district | |
| In office January 2, 1984 – January 3, 1994[2] | |
| Preceded by | Thomas Flaherty |
| Succeeded by | Joe Cusick |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1948-01-04)January 4, 1948 (age 77) Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Nancy Wagner |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | Indiana University of Pennsylvania |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | United States Marine Corps |
| Years of service | 1966–1968 |
| Battles/wars | Vietnam War |
Jack E. Wagner (born January 4, 1948)[3] is an AmericanDemocratic politician from theCommonwealth ofPennsylvania. He served asPennsylvania Auditor General, and previously served in theState Senate andPittsburghCity Council.
Wagner is a veteran of theUnited States Marine Corps and a recipient of thePurple Heart and other military commendations for service in theVietnam War from 1966 to 1968. "In the demilitarized zone between North and South Vietnam, Wagner's squad got caught in an ambush." Wagner was among three wounded, twelve others died.[4] After being discharged from the Marines, he attendedIndiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) where he graduated in 1974 with a degree in Safety Management. While a student at IUP, Wagner worked as a paramedic with Citizens Ambulance Service servingIndiana County and taught evening emergency responder courses at Admiral Peary Area Vocational Technical School inEbensburg. Wagner received IUP's Distinguished Alumni Award for service to the community and the university in 1994.
Wagner was running a restaurant in 1980 when his community experienced serious water problems. He organized a community meeting which no public officials attended, prompting him to make the decision to seek political office that evening.[4]
He originally sought a seat on thePittsburgh City Council in 1981, but was unsuccessful. In 1983, he again ran for city council, and this time he was successful, winning election to the at-large seat being vacated byTom Flaherty, who was elected City Controller. Wagner was originally elected to Flaherty's at-large seat, but won re-election after a voter-approved referendum divided city council seats into districts.[5][6][7][8] Wagner won re-election to the at-large seat in 1987, and again in 1989, in a divisive election triggered by the reorganization of city council seats into numbered districts.
In May 1988,MayorRichard Caliguiri died, and Council PresidentSophie Masloff ascended to the office of mayor. The council's president pro tempore, Ben Woods, declared himself acting council president.[9] Woods served as acting president from the date of Masloff's swearing-in on May 6, 1988, until he resigned on November 6, 1989, after being indicted on charges of racketeering and extortion.[10] Wagner ascended to the office of Acting Council President following Wood's resignation, and remained in the position until he was formally elected council president the following January.
Pittsburgh MayorSophie Masloff decided not to seek re-election to a second term. Wagner and four other Democrats ran. State Representative Tom Murphy won the Democratic primary with 72% of the vote. Wagner was a distant second place with 28% of the vote.[11]
Wagner did not seek re-election to city council in 1993, and originally sought instead to run for mayor. In 1994, however, he instead decided to run in the special election triggered by the death of Democratic State SenatorEugene Scanlon. In March, Wagner won thestate party endorsement by winning 58% of the vote from the State Democratic Committee.Dan Onorato placed second with 40% of the vote.[12] In May, Wagner won the Democratic primary with a plurality of 46% of the vote, beating Onorato by six points.[13] In November, he won the general election unopposed.[14]
In 1998, he won re-election to a second term unopposed.[15] In 2002, he won re-election to a third term with 72% of the vote.[16]
He was chairman of the Democratic Caucus.
Wagner ran forLieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania in the2002 Democratic primary on a ticket with then-auditor generalBob Casey Jr. Eight other candidates decided to run in the Democratic primary. DespiteDemocratic State Committee endorsement, he lost to former state treasurerCatherine Baker Knoll, 25–22 percent.[17] She became the running mate of the party's gubernatorial nominee, formerPhiladelphia mayorEd Rendell.
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In 2004, Wagner ran to succeed Casey asAuditor General. He won the Democratic primary unopposed. In November, he defeated Republican Joe Peters 52–45 percent.[18]
Wagner won re-election by defeating Republican businessman Chet Beiler 59–38 percent.[19][20] Wagner outpolled Beiler 59–38 percent. He earned the most votes of any candidate in Pennsylvania (3.26 million), including Presidential candidateBarack Obama.[21]
Wagner became Pennsylvania's 48th elected auditor general on January 18, 2005. He was responsible for auditing school districts, executive agencies, and state commissions to ensure fiscal responsibility. The legislature is exempt from the auditor general's purview. The auditor general also serves as anex officio commissioner of theDelaware River Port Authority.
On July 20, 2009, Wagner announced his candidacy forgovernor, becoming the first Democrat to publicly declare his candidacy for the office.[22] Wagner had been considered a potential candidate for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate from Pennsylvania in2010, prior to his gubernatorial announcement.[23]
Despite earning the endorsement[24] of thePhiladelphia Inquirer, the state's largest newspaper, Wagnerfinished second in the four person Democratic primary field.Allegheny County Chief ExecutiveDan Onorato defeated Wagner 45–24 percent. Onorato won Allegheny County, home to both candidates, with 79 percent of the vote. Wagner won only three counties in the state.[25]
After incumbent mayorLuke Ravenstahl decided not to run for re-election, Wagner decided to run again for mayor in March 2013.[26] On March 28, Wagner picked up the endorsements from four labor unions, representing about 60% of the city's 3,000 workers, including itspolice officers andfirefighters.[27] In the end, however, he was defeated in the May 21, 2013, Democraticprimary election by City CouncilmanBill Peduto.[28]
Wagner is married to Nancy. The couple has two children: Luke and Sara.[29] His niece,Chelsa, was theAllegheny County Controller, and a former member of thePennsylvania House of Representatives from the22nd District. She currently serves as a judge on the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas. Jack Wagner is aRoman Catholic.
Media related toJack Wagner (politician) at Wikimedia Commons
| Pittsburgh City Council | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of thePittsburgh City Council from the 4th district 1984–1994 | Succeeded by Joe Cusick |
| Preceded by Ben Woods Acting | President of thePittsburgh City Council 1989–1994 | Succeeded by |
| Pennsylvania State Senate | ||
| Preceded by | Member of thePennsylvania Senate from the42nd district 1994–2005 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forAuditor General of Pennsylvania 2004,2008 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Auditor General of Pennsylvania 2005–2013 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
