| Clarence V. Royce | |
|---|---|
| The Wire character | |
 Glynn Turman as Clarence Royce | |
| First appearance | "Time After Time" (2004) |
| Last appearance | "React Quotes" (2008) |
| Created by | David Simon |
| Portrayed by | Glynn Turman |
| In-universe information | |
| Occupation | Mayor of Baltimore Politician |
Clarence V. Royce is a fictional character in the HBO series The Wire played by Glynn Turman.
Clarence V. Royce is the Mayor of Baltimore whose first appearance is at the demolition of the Franklin Terrace housing projects as a means of demonstrating reform throughout Baltimore. The election is approaching and Parker notices the increasing influence of Councilman Tommy Carcetti and deduces that he may be planning to run for mayor. Royce initially scoffs at the possibility of Carcetti becoming Mayor, believing it is not possible for a white candidate to be elected in a predominantly black city. Royce senses that Carcetti will use the rising crime rate to attack his record.
Royce calls on Burrell to reduce the felony rate citywide, and orders the BPD to reduce felonies by a minimum of 5% in each district and keep the murder rate below 275 for the year in order to counter Carcetti's campaign. When crime rates begin to rise, Parker and Watkins urge Royce to fire Burrell as police commissioner. Royce finds himself caught between Burrell and the decent State's Attorney Steven Demper, both of whom have been loyal to the mayor. When Watkins helps Marla Daniels take the seat of Royce loyalist Eunetta Perkins on the City Council, Royce holds up her husband's promotion and supports Perkins.
Royce's propensity to put his career ahead of the needs of the city creates political enemies. Carcetti seizes on Royce's unwillingness to divert funds into a witness protection scheme, drawing the support of Watkins and other black politicians. A black politician, Tony Gray, runs against Royce on the platform of education reform. Gray suggests that Carcetti run as his vice-mayor. Carcetti launches his own campaign hoping Gray's campaign will split the city's black vote.
When Royce's office gets wind of the existence of drug-tolerant zones set up in West Baltimore by BPD Major Howard "Bunny" Colvin, collectively known as "Hamsterdam", Parker again advises the mayor to fire Burrell. However, seeing the drop in crime citywide, Royce is initially open-minded about Hamsterdam. Parker and Watkins realize that such a decision would be disastrous for Royce, earning the loss of the black community's support and the ridicule of the government. Despite their concerns, Demper and several public health officials support keeping Hamsterdam open.
Burrell comes to believe that Royce is using Hamsterdam to make a power play against the BPD, and leaks information about the zones to Carcetti and the press. In the wake of the public outcry against Hamsterdam, Royce regrets his prior support. Burrell then threatens to go public with Royce's lack of action over Hamsterdam, demanding a full term as BPD Commissioner. Needing Burrell's clout to deal with the City Council, Royce caves to Burrell's blackmail against Watkins' wishes. However, Royce and Parker secretly agree to fire Burrell once they win re-election.
Royce's re-election campaign is a well-oiled machine. Parker is an effective fundraiser and Royce is booked into many high-profile speaking opportunities with property developers to push his motto of reform and development. Royce receives massive contributions and fundraising help from developer Andy Krawczyk. He retains State Senator Clay Davis as his deputy campaign chairman. Royce is given more reason to be displeased with Burrell when these key political figures's records are subpoenaed by the BPD's Major Case Unit. [1]
An outraged Davis tells Royce that he never asks where his money comes from, implying that its origin is illicit, and warns that he should be protected if Royce wants continued funding for the campaign. Royce displays this anger to Burrell, who assures that there will be no more surprises within his department.
Royce has an adulterous relationship with one of his secretaries, and at one point, his new driver Herc catches the secretary giving Royce oral sex. He later checks with Parker to see who Herc's friends are in the BPD and considers having him reassigned. Royce then talks with Herc, asking his career goals in the department and why he chose to work on the mayoral security detail. When Herc claims he did it to move up on the sergeants list, Royce immediately calls Burrell to have him promoted as a reward for his silence.
Royce's campaign receives its first major setback in the debates. Carcetti drops a bombshell on Royce when he uses news of a recently killed state's witness in an answer, taking the opportunity to accuse Royce of ignoring his request for witness protection in Baltimore. Royce is unaware of the killing and unable to respond adequately. Royce's campaign then goes downhill as Carcetti grasps a sizeable amount of black voters. [2]
Royce gets more angered when Burrell fails to successfully downplay the witness investigation and promises to fire him at Parker's request following an election victory. Furthermore, Royce's relationship with Watkins becomes frayed over his support for both Daniels and Perkins, his appeasement of the developers, and his illegal campaign contributions. Watkins also believes that Royce disregards the black community, cynically using Marcus Garvey-inspired campaign posters to win their vote.
The mayor's security detail leaks the news of Royce and Watkins' falling out to Deputy Commissioner William Rawls, who believes that Carcetti can do better things for the BPD. After Watkins lends his support to Carcetti, Royce loses the election. He appears to have taken his loss in stride, though; following his defeat, he and Carcetti reconcile amicably.
It is mentioned by Parker that after leaving the Mayor’s office, Royce is considering mounting a primary challenge to Congressman Elijah Cummings, but it is not clear if he actually launches a campaign.3
Royce speaks at a rally in support of Davis, who is facing a grand jury investigation.
Through Royce's depiction on the show, his relationships with various subordinates and groups is shown in a differing manner. Mayor Royce is shown having a good relationship with Property Developers, a bad relationship with Commissioner Burrell and Councilmen Carcetti and Gray, and a circumstantial relationship with other various characters whom he interacts with on the show.
Mayor Royce cares greatly about those who fund his campaign as he seeks re-election through development and reform of a decayed city. Royce is quick to protect developers such as Andy Krawczyk who own development agencies and contribute heavily to his office. In turn, Royce overrides their permits to be approved by power of the Mayor's office regardless of opposition to developing in a specific area. The Grainery in Season 2 which IBS members were fighting to keep is an example.
Every month, Royce held a poker game where the developers' losses, most of which occurred by purposeful folds, would go into Mayor Royce's pockets to buy influence throughout Baltimore City's residents and politicians. Royce also is seen showing support for Senator Clay Davis, a corrupt politician who receives illegal money that contributes heavily to the support of the city administration offices. As Royce's campaign is dependent on developer money, he is stated to be "in bed with every developer" having their security as a paramount concern of his.
As Mayor Royce's office is viewed as being soft on crime by the public safety subcommittee, Royce is extremely critical of the Baltimore Police Department often blaming Commissioner Ervin Burrell solely for the department's problems. Other politicians such as Odell Watkins view Burrell as merely the "hack" of the ministers and often pass down the negative criticism of the department to the mayor's office. To improve his office's view on crime, Royce pressures Burrell to reduce it by any means necessary as a means of being re-elected.
The pressure causes Burrell to relieve two of his majors Marvin Taylor and Howard Colvin, two black district commanders whose districts' uncontrollable drug trade made them unable to reduce crime by conventional methods instructed to them by the department's upper command. Burrell was quick to criticize his own subordinates in order to protect Royce from the City Council. Because of this, Royce initially values Burrell's loyalty but is later angered by the department for issuing subpoenas against election fundraisers and making the public aware of the murder of a dead state's witness. Royce looks from there to fire Burrell upon re-election and promote William Rawls to the BPD Commissioner.
Royce is also criticized for keeping Steven Demper, the Maryland State's Attorney for Baltimore City on his campaign ticket as Demper is more interested in his elected position then pursuing justice. Demper, like Burrell is valued for his loyalty and keeps his post under Royce's rule. Following the election, Royce and Demper both lose however and a new front office consisting of former Councilman Thomas Carcetti and State's Attorney Rupert Bond take their places respectively.
Royce generally relies on Chief of Staff Coleman Parker and Delegate Watkins to help him remain eye to eye with city council members. Royce appreciates loyalty from city politicians keeping them on his campaign ticket even when their position is questionably granted. He is shown being hammered by Baltimore City Council members Tony Gray and Thomas Carcetti for the decay of the city due to the rise in crime and decline in quality of public education.
To appease the two of them, especially Carcetti whom he views as a threat to his chair, Royce criticizes Ervin Burrell and other public figures pressuring them to meet the council's demands if for any other reason to guarantee re-election. It is noted early in Season 3 that Royce receives no support from the first district represented by Carcetti as it is a predominantly white ethnic area in Southeastern Baltimore which has a history for voting against black politicians. When Royce is questioned about witness protection from Carcetti, Odell Watkins assists Carcetti in obtaining the matching funds, but Royce ignores the council's pleas which eventually result in becoming a problem in his campaign.
Royce also finds conflict with Watkins in the city's eleventh district for keeping incumbent councilwoman Eunetta Perkins on his ticket. Royce eventually lies to Watkins promising to drop her for Watkins' protégé Marla Daniels, but keeps Perkins on the ticket anyway. This causes a split from Delegate Watkins who is the kingmaker essential in keeping Royce in line with the council members.
Coleman Parker remains loyal to Royce up until the election where following the loss, he plans to help a new candidate from Maryland's Eastern Shore with Carcetti's Chief of Staff Norman Wilson. Royce also relies heavily on West Baltimore State Senator Clay Davis who when properly positioned is an instrumental player in gaining the necessary votes from specifically needed people. Davis' loyalty however is circumstant to bribery and those who protect him from criminal investigations.
Following Royce's introduction in Season 3, city voters are angered by the rise in crime and other negative attributes from Royce's office. Royce appeases the voters through criticizing and threatening to demote his subordinates such as Burrell to make the city look better. Royce is actually more concerned about creating a good image amongst city voters temporarily as a means of winning the election and is not as concerned about having his office create good permanent changes that occur based on the voter's actual needs.
To win against Tommy Carcetti and Tony Gray, Royce plays the race card in the election in Season 4 relying on Baltimore's black majority to vote for him. Royce's office figures that with their funding, Carcetti's race, black flag campaign colors, and Marcus Garvey posters that Royce appears as the best candidate amongst black voters. Odell Watkins however sees through Royce's scheme pointing out that his interest in the voters' safety is not as high as his interest in the property developers' security causing him to move his support to Tommy Carcetti which becomes the turning point during re-election.
Royce is shown to be married in Season 4 but is caught in an adulterous affair with a female secretary by Officer Thomas "Herc" Hauk. After establishing Herc's loyalty, Royce grants him a promotion and keeps his affair secret. Royce's wife appears accompanying him to church on the Sunday before the election.
Cedric Daniels is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, portrayed by Lance Reddick. Daniels is well-regarded in the Baltimore Police Department for making his subordinates focus on decent police work and quality arrests. He occasionally has disagreements with higher-ranking officers but for the most part performs well, and has thereby gained a reputation as both a reliable commander and an above-average investigator within the force, in stark contrast to some of his superiors and peers, most of whom display varying degrees of corruption and unreliability.
"Time After Time" is the first episode of the third season of the HBO original series The Wire. The episode was written by David Simon from a story by David Simon & Ed Burns and was directed by Ed Bianchi. It originally aired on September 19, 2004.
"Homecoming" is the sixth episode of the third season of the HBO original series The Wire. The episode was written by Rafael Alvarez from a story by David Simon & Rafael Alvarez and was directed by Leslie Libman. It originally aired on October 31, 2004.
"Back Burners" is the seventh episode of the third season of the HBO original series The Wire. The episode was written by Joy Lusco from a story by David Simon & Joy Lusco and was directed by Tim Van Patten. It originally aired on November 7, 2004.
Ervin H. Burrell is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by Frankie Faison. Burrell was an officer in the Baltimore Police Department who ascended from Deputy Commissioner of Operations to Commissioner over the course of the show.
William A. "Bill" Rawls is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor John Doman. Over the course of the series, Rawls ascends through the higher ranks of the Baltimore Police Department, eventually becoming Deputy Commissioner of Operations and, at the end of Season 5, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police.
Howard "Bunny" Colvin is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Robert Wisdom. Colvin is a wise and able police major in the Baltimore's Western District, alienated by the careerism and bureaucracy rampant in the Baltimore Police Department and the detrimental social effects of the War on Drugs. Close to retirement, he secretly breaks chain of command and puts his resources into "Hamsterdam," three zones within his district where drug dealers are pressured to non-violently congregate in exchange for informal legal sanction.
Stanislaus "Stan" Valchek is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Al Brown.
"Slapstick" is the ninth episode of the third season of the HBO original series The Wire. The episode was written by David Simon from a story by David Simon & George Pelecanos and was directed by Alex Zakrzewski. It originally aired on November 21, 2004.
"Reformation" is the tenth episode of the third season of the HBO original series The Wire. The episode was written by Ed Burns from a story by David Simon & Ed Burns and was directed by Christine Moore. It originally aired on November 28, 2004.
"Middle Ground" is the 11th episode of the third season of the HBO original series The Wire. The episode was written by George Pelecanos from a story by David Simon & George Pelecanos and was directed by Joe Chappelle. It originally aired on December 12, 2004. The episode was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series.
"Mission Accomplished" is the 12th and final episode of the third season of the HBO original series The Wire. The episode was written by David Simon from a story by David Simon & Ed Burns and was directed by Ernest Dickerson. It originally aired on December 19, 2004.
Thomas J. "Tommy" Carcetti is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by Aidan Gillen. Carcetti is an ambitious and venal Baltimore politician who begins the series with a seat on the city council.
"Soft Eyes" is the second episode of the fourth season of the HBO original series The Wire. Written by David Mills from a story by Ed Burns & David Mills, and directed by Christine Moore, it originally aired on September 17, 2006.
"Alliances" is the fifth episode of the fourth season of the HBO original series The Wire. Written by Ed Burns with a story by David Simon & Ed Burns, and directed by David Platt, it originally aired on October 8, 2006.
"Margin of Error" is the sixth episode of the fourth season of the HBO original series The Wire. Written by Eric Overmyer from a story by Ed Burns & Eric Overmyer, and directed by Dan Attias, it originally aired on October 15, 2006.
R. Clayton "Clay" Davis is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Isiah Whitlock, Jr. Davis is a corrupt Maryland State Senator with a reputation for pocketing bribes. However, throughout the series Davis remains protected by other ranking politicians and Baltimore Police Commissioner Ervin Burrell.
The following are politicians, family members, and assistants administrating the politics of Baltimore on The Wire.
Law enforcement is an integral part of the HBO drama series The Wire. The show has numerous characters in this field and their roles range from those enforcing the law at street level up to those setting laws citywide. The Baltimore City Police Department has been explored in detail from street level characters to the upper echelons of command. The show has also examined those setting laws in city politics and touched upon the FBI, the correctional system and the family of police officers.
Rhonda Pearlman is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actress Deirdre Lovejoy. Pearlman has been the legal system liaison for all of Lieutenant Cedric Daniels' investigations on the show. Later in the series, she begins a relationship with Cedric Daniels.
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