Video of a man breakdancing at a New Jersey town hall meeting is going viral, but the mayor calls it a distraction

Video of a man breakdancing at a town meeting in New Jersey has gone viral, gaining at least 1.6 million views on social media.

Will Thilly is running as an independent for Cranford Township Committee, which is essentially a Town Council. He approached the podium at Tuesday night's town meeting, then began dancing in front of Township Committee members, Mayor Terrence Curran and other attendees.

After asking how everyone's weekend was, talking about his trip to Mexico and going for a backspin, he brought up rising taxes.

"We were told the referendum was gonna bring it up for an average household about $400, I think, and mine went up like 900 bucks," Thilly said.

He then moonwalked out.

"Thank you, Mr. Thilly. I like the interpretive dance," Curran told him.

"It would be kind of repetitive and boring for me to speak"

Thilly told CBS News New York's Kristie Keleshian he's trying to prove a point.

"I had a feeling about a minute before I went up that it would be kind of repetitive and boring for me to speak because most of the things we speak about are not answered," he said.

Thilly works as a genetics researcher, and this is his third time running for the committee.

Curran is all too familiar with Thilly's five-minute sessions at the town's bi-weekly meetings over the past several months. He doesn't always dance; sometimes, Thilly's silent at the podium.

"It's completely a distraction," Curran said.

Mayor criticizes Thilly's "antics"

In reference to Thilly's point about taxes, Curran said, "His tax bill was just like everybody else's."

Thilly has also been protesting the town's use of the pilot tax exemption programs for developers every day since Aug. 11. He says he's been getting some more honks and waves since Tuesday's meeting.

"Despite how many times we've sat down with him and spoke to him about what the pilot programs are, he just doesn't want to seem to go along with what is actually happening," Curran said.

Taxes and money aside, Thilly also says his goal is to make sure everyone in the committee and town gets along.

"That's really, really my motive, and it's about saying, hey, you know what, we can have fun, we can be friends here, we can relax," he said.

"While his antics have gone viral, Cranford's Township Committee and Cranford's employees are really focused on delivering services to the township," Curran said.

CBS News New York reached out to the other candidates running for Township Committee, but did not hear back.