Politicians of The Wire
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The following are politicians, family members, and assistants administrating the politics of Baltimore on The Wire.
Contents |
[edit] Maryland State Politicians
[edit] Clay Davis
Clay Davis is a corrupt State Senator who is an important Democratic fundraiser. Baltimore mayors therefore try to stay on his good side.
[edit] Odell Watkins
State Delegate Watkins is a longtime major Baltimore political figure and a wheelchair user. The moral voice of authority within Baltimore politicians, Watkins plays the instrumental role of keeping the city mayor eye to eye with city council members.
[edit] Baltimore City Administration
[edit] Current
[edit] Naresse Campbell
- Played by: Marlyne Afflack
- Appears in:
- Season four: "Know Your Place;" "Unto Others;" "Refugees;" "That's Got His Own;" "Misgivings"
Campbell is the madame president of the Baltimore City council who is the only member of Clarence Royce's campaign ticket to win election to their respective position. An attractive woman, Campbell first appeared drawing the attention of the Mayor's security detail officers. Campbell is the leading voice of opposition to Mayor Tommy Carcetti's plan to fire Commissioner Ervin Burrell claiming that a good portion of her constituency would be against this action. She is close to the ministers and politicians from Clarence Royce's era who promised her to become the next mayor of Baltimore on his ticket. She is told by Carcetti that she may become Mayor in 2008 by default if Carcetti decides to run for governor at that time. When issues pertaining to the city school system arise, Campbell suggests that Carcetti go to the Maryland governor to "beg" for the money to solve the $54 million deficit that is present. Campbell's character bares similarities to current Baltimore mayor Sheila Dixon who was the city council president that became mayor following Martin O'Malley's election as governor.[citation needed]
[edit] Tommy Carcetti
Tommy Carcetti is the new Mayor of Baltimore.
[edit] Marla Daniels
- Played by: Maria Broom
- Appears in:
- Season one: "The Detail"; "One Arrest"; "Lessons" and "Sentencing".
- Season two: "Collateral Damage"; "Backwash" and "Port in a Storm".
- Season three: "Time After Time"; "Amsterdam"; "Homecoming"; "Slapstick" and "Mission Accomplished".
- Season four: "Home Rooms", "Refugees"
Marla is the estranged wife of Colonel Cedric Daniels. She always had ambitions for her husband to progress in the police force and his failure to do so contributed to the demise of their relationship. As their marriage fell apart, she decided to run for City Council, and is currently Councilwoman from the 11th District of Baltimore.
Cedric seems a likely candidate to receive a promotion when he is assigned to run the controversial Barksdale detail. Throughout the first season, Marla advised Cedric to build the case his superiors were demanding (quick and simple, low-level busts), but he is pushed to more elaborate investigative work by the detectives he commanded. He also meets a driver for Senator Clay Davis while attending a function she drags him to, which turns out to be important for the investigation.
Cedric is banished to evidence control after upsetting his superiors, and Marla convinces him to leave the department and become a lawyer. Cedric is ready to do so until he got a second chance to do the kind of investigative work he wanted in the new Sobotka detail. Marla greets his decision to stay with the police with worry and skepticism, and eventually they separate.
Marla runs for City Council in season three; Cedric appears publicly in uniform as a content husband to support her. Marla had the support and guidance of State Delegate Odell Watkins, but was running against Eunetta Perkins, an old ally of Mayor Clarence Royce. Because of this, her husband's promotion to major is being held up by Royce. She eventually seeks a reconciliation with Cedric, but he declines as he had become involved with Rhonda Pearlman. As a way of appeasing Watkins, the Mayor eventually lends her his support and allows Cedric's promotion to pass.
Even with the Mayor's support, Marla is having trouble overcoming her entrenched rival at the beginning of season four. She attends the funeral of a witness murdered in the district alongside Watkins and learns that Tommy Carcetti is supportive of her campaign, despite her being part of Royce's ticket. Watkins switches to Carcetti's ticket at the last minute, and Marla comes with him, and she wins the election. [1]
[edit] Gerry
- Played by: Karen Vicks
- Appears in season four: "Boys of Summer" (uncredited); "Soft Eyes" (uncredited); "Refugees"; "Margin of Error"; "Unto Others"; .
Gerry was a key member of Tommy Carcetti’s campaign staff in the Mayoral election race. She helps to decide campaign strategy along with Norman Wilson and Theresa D'Agostino. She becomes a senior staffer in the Carcetti administration.
[edit] Anthony Gray
- Played by: Christopher Mann
- Appears in:
- Season three: "Time After Time"; "Dead Soldiers"; "Amsterdam"; "Straight and True"; "Homecoming"; "Moral Midgetry"; "Slapstick" and "Mission Accomplished".
- Season four: "Boys of Summer", "Soft Eyes"; "Alliances"; "Margin of Error".
"Tony" Gray first appeared as a Democratic Baltimore Councilman in season three, working alongside his good friend Tommy Carcetti on the public safety subcommittee. Gray becomes disillusioned with Mayor Royce and uses his position on the committee to berate senior police officials including acting commissioner Burrell. Gray decides to run for mayor on an education platform; Carcetti encourages the decision, manipulating him to run. Gray hopes that Carcetti would join his campaign with a position as council president as a reward, but Carcetti plans to run for mayor himself, and is hoping Gray will split the black voting majority and allow him to win. This deception upsets Gray and destroys their friendship.
In season four, Gray continues his stalling campaign. Carcetti's deputy campaign manager Norman Wilson feeds Gray a story about the police department covering up the murder of a state's witness. Gray took the story public, because he knew it would hurt the Mayor and help his campaign, which will help his political future even though he can't win. Gray was shown attending church with his wife on the eve of the election. Gray ultimately loses his election campaign to Carcetti.[2]
[edit] Norman Wilson
Wilson is a professional Democratic political operative and deputy manager of Tommy Carcetti's campaign in the mayoral race. He becomes Carcetti's deputy chief of staff after he is elected.
[edit] Former
[edit] Eunetta Perkins
- Played by: Unknown
- Appears in:
- Season three: "Mission Accomplished"
- Season four: "Alliances"
Eunetta was the City Councilwoman from the 11th District of Baltimore. According to a commentary track, it was a running joke on the show that Perkins was never present at City Council meetings. Despite this, Mayor Royce sticks with her, due to her loyalty. Eventually, Royce agrees to support her opponent, Marla Daniels. Royce is seen supporting both candidates causing Odell Watkins to throw his support to Tommy Carcetti taking Daniels with him. Perkins remains on the ticket keeping the race tight, but ultimately loses the position to Marla Daniels.
[edit] Coleman Parker
Parker was the chief of staff and main advisor to Mayor Clarence Royce, organizing Royce's time and limits access to the mayor. He is loyal to Royce through the election and then appears at the end of season 4 planning to endorse a new political candidate from Maryland's Eastern Shore.
[edit] Clarence Royce
Royce was the mayor of Baltimore, until Carcetti beat him in a surprising primary.
[edit] Campaign staff
[edit] Theresa D'Agostino
Theresa D'Agostino is a Washington-based political consultant and campaign fixer. She graduated from Maryland law-school at the same time as councilman Tommy Carcetti whom she helps campaign to become Mayor of Baltimore in the 2006 election.
[edit] Fund-raisers
[edit] Andy Krawczyk
- Played by: Michael Willis
- Appears in:
- Season two: "Collateral Damage" (uncredited) and "Port in a Storm" (uncredited).
- Season three: "Amsterdam"; "Straight and True"; "Homecoming"; "Moral Midgetry"; "Middle Ground" and "Mission Accomplished."
- Season four: "Soft Eyes"; "Refugees;" "A New Day;" "That's Got His Own".
Krawczyk is a property developer who is at least marginally corrupt. He discusses Frank Sobotka's union business with Major Valchek. He is working on a model of the prospective grain pier condominium development which Sobotka is against. He is later shown breaking ground on the development with State Senator Davis.
In season three, Krawczyk is revealed to be the property developing consultant to Stringer Bell. He is constantly trying to calm Stringer down, explaining the business to him, and is ultimately present when Omar Little comes calling on Bell for revenge. In season four, he continues to make campaign donations to Clarence Royce in exchange for assistance with his property developments. Krawczyk is also a regular fixture at Royce's fundraising poker games, where players deliberately lose (to get around campaign finance laws). Detective Kima Greggs personally serves Krawczyk with a subpoena for financial records, as part of Lester Freamon's investigation into the Barksdale money trail.[3]
Michael Willis was previously a recurring character on David Simon's previous show, Homicide: Life on the Street, playing a corrupt deceitful lawyer.
[edit] Relatives
[edit] Jen Carcetti
- Played by: Megan Anderson
- Appears in:
- Season three: "Dead Soldiers"; "Homecoming"; "Back Burners"; "Moral Midgetry"; "Reformation" and "Mission Accomplished".
- Season four: "Boys of Summer"; "Soft Eyes"; "Margin of Error"; Final Grades.
Jen Carcetti is the wife of councilman Tommy Carcetti. They have two children, a son and a daughter. Jen supports Tommy's policial ambitions and is seemingly unaware of his infidelity.
[edit] References
- ^ Character profile - Marla Daniels. HBO (2004). Retrieved on July 22, 2006.
- ^ Character profile - Anthony Gray. HBO (2006). Retrieved on September 15, 2006.
- ^ Number 1 reason to watch HBO The Wire - Sen. Clay Davis!. You Tube (2004). Retrieved on September 13, 2006.
