Cranford Township Committee Candidate Profile: William Thilly

CRANFORD, NJ — New Jersey's General Election Day is coming up on Nov. 8, and five candidates are running for two open seats on Cranford's Township Committee this year.

Democrat Mayor Kathleen Miller Prunty is running for a second term on the committee along with running mate Terrence Curran. They will face two Republican candidates — current Committeewoman Mary O'Connor, along with Chrissa Stulpin.

Independent candidate William Thilly is also running on the ballot this year.

Patch asked all the candidates a series of questions ahead of the November election. (All of the candidates were given the same questions).

Here are candidate Thilly's answers below:

William Thilly

Party Affiliation:

Independent

Office Sought:

Cranford Township Committee

Campaign Website:

http://www.WilliamThilly.com

Education:

BA Economics BA Economics University of Massachusetts Amherst 1999

Occupation:

Founder/Owner Doppelgänger Genomics LLC. A research company using Whole Genome Sequencing to discover locations of genes related to personality and other phenotypes

Do you have a family? Tell us about them.

My Mom is from West Virginia, Dad is from Staten Island, wife is from Daytona Beach, Florida. A lawyer, a scientist, and another lawyer! An adored sister in North Carolina. Two children I love very very much and tell them so.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

My wife works for the Federal Government.

Age:

48

Any previous public office positions?

No

Why are you running for Township Committee this year?

I am running to stop and revise the current development agreement which forces residents to pay the property taxes and infrastructure costs for billionaire developers who wish to build out our town while overcrowding our streets and schools.

What is the most pressing issue facing Cranford residents and what do you intend to do about it?

The loss of trust that our Township Committee will respect our residents’ wishes particularly in regard to the overdevelopment of our town.

In an agreement last year, the Township Committee voted to allow the building of 400+
apartments in 6 new buildings and to increase our zoning to allow for more development in the future. The larger issue however is that the for-profit developers were offered up to 30-year tax free exemptions paid for by us, while at the same time not being made to contribute to their
own infrastructure costs. Costs we would be expected to pay on the developers' behalf include new sewer lines, flood mitigation projects, extra school space, 100+ new students at $20k/per year, extra police and fire, and additional traffic, etc. We will stop and revise the current agreement to drastically reduce the number of new apartments and require that full taxes, infrastructure, and school related costs be paid by any developers. We will restore our downtown and corridor zoning to prevent future over development.

What sets you apart from other candidates seeking this post?

I am the only candidate to commit to stopping and revising the 400+ apartment development
deal which allows for massive over building in our town at our taxpayers’ great expense. Both
our incumbent candidates voted for the over development and tax breaks all along. But I still
like them as people!

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

President of Non-Profit in Los Angeles promoting and producing community events. Consultant to multi-national executives with international business negotiation skills in Brazil. Founder and president of DopGen LLC a research company using Whole Genome Sequencing to discover locations of genes related to personality and other phenotypes.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

God tells me to have Faith and follow my heart.

Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your position?

I care very deeply for all our residents equally and unconditionally no matter what they think or
feel. I believe it is our job as elected officials to find out what the residents want and get it done
for them. When residents' needs conflict we will work to find a compromise until all sides are
satisfied. I believe in including all residents in decisions, as the town belongs to us all. I work
hard, am relentless and tenacious until our goals are realized.