Wade stood for election in Limerick East at the 1989 and 1992 general elections; on his third attempt, at the 1997 general election, he finally gained a seat in Dáil Éireann. However his fortunes were reversed again at the 2002 general election when he lost his seat to party colleague Peter Power.
Wade was first elected as a member of Limerick County Council in 1979 for the Castleconnell area,[2] and retained his seat at the elections of 1985, 1991, 1999, 2004 and 2009.[3] During that period, he was elected Cathaoirleach (chairman) of the council on several occasions and was a prominent member of the Association of County and City Councils.
Before becoming a full-time public representative, he worked as a sales representative.