Robert Weldon is the mayor of New York City, and a personal friend of Richard Castle. They first met in the year 2000, Weldon being a fan of Castle's work. Castle uses their friendship to wangle his way into the 12th Precinct as a "consultant". "Ricky" refers to his pal as "McCheese", presumably demonstrating their closeness. In 2012, Weldon is investigated in the disappearance of over two million dollars from one of his charities' bank accounts. When the woman investigating the case, Laura Cambridge, is murdered, he comes to the attention of Detective Beckett and Castle.