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Fresno Mayor Lee Brand made a cameo appearance as himself in the promo for one of ABC’s newest sitcoms.
A promo for “The Mayor,” about a young rapper who runs for mayor of his California hometown as a publicity stunt, and inadvertently wins, features Brand as one of three real-life mayors the main character, Courtney Rose, calls on advice.
The joke of the promo is about the ridiculously oversized scissors that mayors use at ribbon cuttings (and Brand has been using quite extensively in recent months on his quest to create 10,000 jobs).
The other mayors featured include Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs, who at age 26 was the youngest mayor in Stockton’s history when elected last year, and James J. Schmitt, mayor of Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Schmitt has his own colorful history, being sentenced to 40 hours of community service and a $4,000 fine last year related to his role in campaign finance violations in 2015.
Brand holds his own in the promo, showing off the comedic timing that he often employs in public remarks.
Of course, Fresno mayors have a history of landing national television airtime. There was Alan Autry, and his vaunted acting career prior to taking office. And in 1984, Mayor Dan Whitehurst made an appearance on “Late Night with David Letterman” to discuss Fresno’s distinction as the least desirable place to live in America.
“The Mayor” premieres on ABC on Oct. 3.