Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell has never been big on the theatrics that defined his predecessor, Will Wynn. But with a single campaign video, Leffingwell surpasses Wynn’s zombie costumes, “Thriller” dancing and SXSW partying in one fell swoop.
Leffingwell started campaigning early for re-election this May, before former council member Brigid Shea entered the race. This new campaign clip, an homage to “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” seeks to promote his campaign headquarters gala next weekend, complete with an Alamo Drafthouse Rolling Roadshow screening of the original film. But the most viral thing about the video may be a bedridden Wynn, inhabiting the role of Ferris’ ailing friend Cameron. City Council member Chris Riley also appears in a reprise of the film’s famous classroom scene.
The clip’s casting opens a world of possibilities. In a full-length Austin politics remake, who else would you cast?
Correction: An earlier version of this post stated the campaign's film screening is the weekend of Feb. 18; the event is scheduled for Feb. 25.