Will Thilly, a Cranford, New Jersey resident, is shaking things up in his community. He’s currently running for a seat on the Republican-controlled township committee. Thilly is known for his theatrical town hall performances. Most recently, he wowed the crowd by breaking out into a wordless robotic dance move from the podium during a public board meeting. His distinctive approach really comes to life upon his return home from Monterrey, Mexico. He said the journey was a precious experience, but he wished pizza had been included.
Throughout the meeting, Thilly made the case against his recent tax increase with fiery conviction. From January to March it increased by $900, far exceeding the predicted increase of $400. He had previously voiced his anger at the differences in the misleading school referendum that indicated a much smaller tax hike. Along with entertaining the audience, he built suspense among them by asking if they’d like to see him do a backspin. While clowning on serious financial reform, he brightened the city’s mood.
In his testimony, Thilly’s message was clear. If folks are going to pay local taxes, there must be transparency and accountability. In a series of blistering exchanges, he took the schools to task for incurring additional costs. These costs were hidden from the public by Franklin County during the referendum vote.
“We were told the referendum was going to bring [taxes] up for an average household [by] around $400 … and mine went up like 900 bucks … We were told like that was from the schools or something? But the school referendum said it would only go up … like 400 bucks on an average assessed home … So I wanted to know why it went up, if it did that and what extra expenses were incurred by the schools that weren’t told to the public when we voted on that referendum?” – Will Thilly
Thilly’s platform focuses on reversing what he calls “resident-funded overdevelopment” in Cranford. He encourages changing township meetings to focus on meeting residents’ needs with open discussions and honest answers to their questions.
“I want to be elected to stop the resident-funded overdevelopment of Cranford … Our township meetings 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.” – Will Thilly
His candidacy thundered into the national consciousness with the lightning power of social media. He chronicles his town hall takeover tactics on Instagram. What has made Thilly’s performances so compelling is the fact that they’re both entertaining and deeply informative about important issues facing the community.
With the election approaching, Thilly is on the ground every day talking to voters. He does this with his unique style, blending humor with a fierce commitment to transparency in local government. His willingness to lead on tough community issues while still keeping constituents engaged and amused could indeed make him exceptional in a cutthroat new political reality.