Cranford, New Jersey town council candidate Will Thilly went viral after dancing his way up to the podium at a recent town hall meeting to ask why property taxes in Cranford have gone "up so much."
Thilly's unique tax protest began when he danced his way up to the podium and continued to dance even after a Cranford Township official said, "Mr. Thilly, I started your time." People laughed when Thilly held up a finger to stop the official and continued to dance anyway.
When he finally decided to speak, Thilly took the mic and said:
"Wanna see me do the backspin?"
Without waiting for an answer, Thilly dropped to the ground and showed off his best move yet, a moment that had at least two people in the meeting chuckling with their faces in their hands.
Finally, Thilly actually said his piece:
"Why did our taxes go up so much? We were told the referendum would raise each household $400 a bank and mine went up about $900 bucks. What actual expenses were incurred by the schools that weren't told to the public when we voted on that referendum?"
Satisfied, he moonwalked away from the podium. One official thanked him for his "interpretive dance."
You can see news reports and the footage of Thilly dancing in the videos below.
- YouTubewww.youtube.com
@cbsnews A town council candidate in Cranford, New Jersey went viral after breakdancing at a public meeting to protest a property tax hike. Will Thilly, who is running for the Cranford Township Committee, danced his way to the podium before questioning why residents are paying more taxes than what they expected to under a new referendum. Known locally for his unconventional appearances at civic meetings, Thilly wrapped up his remarks by moonwalking back to his seat.
People loved every second of it.
Speaking to Action News after the footage of his stunt went viral, Thilly said:
"I probably have an instinct somewhere that talking is a little boring. I couldn't have done differently. So yes, I'm glad I listened to my instinct." ...
"I have learned from trial and error ... I believe best to always rise up and do what you feel in your heart."
We can tell you always do, Will.