NJ Council Candidate Protests High Taxes At Public Meeting—Through Dance

CRANFORD, NJ — He's launched a website, he's sued, he's running for office, and now Cranford resident William Thilly has channeled his frustration over high taxes — into dance.

Thilly's widely reported antics from Tuesday's Township Committee meeting, which, according to him, are designed to bring attention to serious issues, are the latest in a series of moves that included using the public portion of the meeting to breathe into a microphone for several minutes without saying a word and taking the town to court.

In the Township Committee meeting on Tuesday, Thilly used around one minute of his allotted five to perform a silent robot dance before turning to the elected members and asking "why did our taxes go up so much?"

"I love Cranford because it’s one of the few small towns left that still has a community feel," Thilly said. "My goal at that particular meeting on Sept. 2 was for everyone in the room, committee members and residents alike, to lighten up and start talking with and thinking of each other as friends. Before doing anything else, I think people need to be friends first and then start making decisions together."

Thilly says he is looking to "stop the resident-funded overdevelopment of Cranford."

He points to the development of luxury apartments and other community features being added to the areas of Walnut Ave. and Birchwood Ave. as placing the burden on residential taxpayers.

One of his principal gripes, is the $55 million January 2024 bond referendum that was approved and supposed to only raise tax bills by an average of "four hundred bucks on an average assessed home" while simultaneously enriching facilities and projects for the schools in the area.

Thilly is also doing more than dancing.

Thilly is a candidate for Township Committee this November, where he will go up as an independent against four other hopefuls, including two incumbents, looking to secure two seats for three-year terms.

Thilly is also looking to advance the lawsuit he and a group of attorneys have to nullify a 30-year, multi-million dollar tax break given to the Walnut developer.

It's the residents, he says, that are truly suffering, paying with their wallets to mask the lack in support for educational projects coming from real estate deals and the like.

He says he is fully prepared, "being in every meeting and workshop for the past four years...and leading a two-and-a-half-year lawsuit with the developer receiving a 30-year $100M tax exemption at 750 Walnut as a pro se plaintiff."

Outside of politics, the dancing activist owns a genetic research company and used to produce talent shows in Los Angeles at places like the historic Hollywood Improv.

As a husband and father of two children, Thilly says his priorities are family first, and then the greater community.

"When you have great energy in the town, it permeates," he said.

Patch has reached out to the Township Committee for comment on the demonstration during the Sept. 2 meeting, and has yet to hear back.

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