A candidate for a committee position in New Jersey has captured widespread attention after showcasing his breakdancing skills at a committee meeting to advocate for increased taxes on property developers.
Will Thilly, who lives in Cranford, New Jersey, was observed performing dance moves and doing spins on the floor as surprised attendees watched in amazement during a meeting on Tuesday.
He continued pirouetting and swaying for almost a minute, before jogging back to the podium and berating the committee members.
‘Why did our taxes go up so much?’ he demanded, as the audience appeared to try and stifle laughter.
Speaking with the Daily Mail, Thilly explained that he uses breakdancing to draw attention to his political bid to enter the local government, adding that his antics are meant to be humorous.
‘The government is so serious all the time, but they still don’t listen to us,’ he said.
Thilly, who is frequently seen dancing during local meetings, mentioned that his choice to perform is usually a spontaneous decision determined by the atmosphere in the room.
Running as an independent candidate in the upcoming November election, Thilly expressed confidence in his chances, stating that increased awareness among the public translates to greater support for him.
Will Thilly, the New Jersey committee candidate, became an internet sensation after his breakdancing and expressive dancing at a meeting aimed at calling for higher taxes on property developers.
Thilly, a resident of Cranford, New Jersey, was seen breaking down his dance moves and spinning around on his back as stunned locals held their heads in their hands at a meeting on Tuesday
He is up for election in November and is running as an independent, and Thilly says says he likes his chances as ‘the more people know, the more they support me’
In a phone call with the Daily Mail, Thilly said he stands by his breakdancing as a way to bring attention to his campaign to join the local government, and insisted that ‘it is supposed to be funny’
‘The committee is very unpopular,’ he says. ‘(The dancing) helps people see each other as friends.’
In Thilly’s most recent dancing stunt this week, the candidate seemed to struggle to impress those in attendance.
After breakdancing without any music and then walking back to the podium, Thilly began telling the crowd about a recent vacation he took to Monterrey, Mexico.
‘There’s no pizza there,’ he said.
‘But it’s a beautiful town with lots of history. Anyone here afraid of flying?’
In a previous appearance earlier this year, Thilly reportedly pushed for wealthy developers to pay higher taxes by encouraging the community to band together and for residents to be friends with each other.
Thilly is known to repeatedly dance as he joins local meetings, and said that his decision to dance is a ‘spur of the moment’ move ‘based on the mood of the room’
Thilly is a well-known public advocate in Cranford, and has made tax hikes on developers in the town one of the main issues of his campaign.
In a referendum in January, the town approved a $55 million fund for local schools, a policy Thilly supported because ‘developers are contributing nothing to our educational system,’ he says on his campaign website.
‘Did you know that in recent years the Township Committee under both political parties has awarded over $150 million in 30-year tax exemptions to billionaire developers?’ he asks.
‘We residents have to pay for this on their behalf. It’s a few thousand dollars every year in extra taxes per household. In return, we receive little besides increased traffic, flooding, overcrowded schools, and overburdened infrastructure.’
The site also includes references to the Wolf of Wall Street movie, and he vows to work ‘to reduce stress and anxiety in your life.’
Thilly also addresses the Township meetings that he often appears at on his campaign site, saying the hearings ‘need to be about getting residents what they want, by offering clear answers to their questions, encouraging open discussion and dialogue, and ultimately working together for consensus and compromise.’
‘I will lead this effort,’ he concludes.
