The Montclair Pod

This week on The Montclair Pod, Farnoosh Torabi and Mike Schreiber sit down with the three candidates on the ballot for Congress in New Jersey’s 11th District: Rep. Analilia Mejia (D), Joe Hathaway (R) and Alan Bond, who is running under the label “Hope for Tomorrow.” With days to go before the Nov. 3 election, we asked Mejia and Hathaway the same questions on taxes, schools, small business, immigration and money in politics; Bond spoke with us in a shorter interview at his Montclair home.

Also in the show: a tease of next week’s report on PSE&G’s proposed substation at 205 Claremont, a bomb threat at an Essex County early voting site, and reports of people being taken off Bloomfield Avenue by agents who appeared to be ICE. Not sure which congressional district you’re in? Montclair is split between NJ-10 and NJ-11, and our Nov. 3 ballot guide explains how to check.

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This week on The Montclair Pod, Farnoosh Torabi and Mike Schreiber ask what it takes to keep youth sports affordable in Montclair. Their reported package features Peter Daddabbo, who has spent 18 years helping run Montclair United Soccer Club; Michael-John Van Rhyn, who started Montclair Ultimate when his son couldn't find a middle school team; and the volunteers and donors who kept Clary Anderson Arena open. It's set against a national backdrop of rising costs and private equity money moving into clubs, facilities and game streaming.

Next, it's closing weekend of the Montclair Film Festival. Farnoosh and Mike recap opening weekend at the Clairidge and the Bellevue, hear from festival photographer Kareem Wilder and Bellevue venue manager Will Kuhn, and preview what's still to come, including Ava DuVernay, Jesse Eisenberg's "The Debut" and closing-night film "Behemoth!" They also run through this weekend's games, from the Essex County cross country championships to Montclair State's Senior Day doubleheader.

Also this week: a new "What the Hell" on the drop-off pileup around the new Pre-K on Chestnut Street, Kelly Clarkson's feud with a Brooklyn toy store and how the Pod decides when a bad customer experience is news, Mike's transformation into a zombie, Sam's Table chef Sam Stymest up for New Jersey Chef of the Year, and free water meter replacements for some Montclair households.

• What does it take to keep youth sports affordable in Montclair? Montclair United, Clary Anderson Arena and Montclair Ultimate
• Kelly Clarkson, the $15,000 mechanical bird and when a bad customer experience is actually news
• Mike's zombie transformation at East Side Mags
• What the Hell: the Pre-K drop-off pileup on Chestnut Street
• News: this weekend's games, Sam Stymest's Chef of the Year nomination and free water meter replacements
• Montclair Film Festival: opening weekend recap and closing weekend preview

• Essex County Cross Country Championships (Super Essex Conference)
• MaxPreps: Montclair High School boys football
• MaxPreps: Montclair High School boys soccer
• MaxPreps: MKA boys football
• MaxPreps: MKA boys soccer
• Montclair State women's volleyball schedule
• Montclair State men's soccer schedule
• Essex News Daily: Essex County girls soccer tournament
• Essex News Daily: Essex County boys soccer tournament
• Montclair Local: MHS field hockey and the county tournament

• NJRHA Awards: Vote for the 2026 Chef of the Year (Sam Stymest, Sam's Table)
• Sam's Table
• Township of Montclair: Water Meter Replacement Notice
• Schedule your free meter replacement with MeterTek Utility Services: 833-505-5412 (Mon–Fri, 8 a.m.–4 p.m.) or schedule online

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• See something in Montclair that needs fixing? Email [email protected] with details and photos.
• Story ideas? [email protected]

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This week on The Montclair Pod, Farnoosh Torabi and Mike Schreiber revisit the Pod's first candidate forum, co-hosted with MPACT, featuring the six candidates running for three open seats on the Montclair Board of Education in the Nov. 3, 2026, election. They play two exchanges: how each candidate voted in the March school referendum, and what academic success should look like for Montclair students. Then they talk through what surprised them. Farnoosh also owns up to a Google Form mishap with the councilor-at-large candidates.

Next, longtime friend Allison Fishman Task, a Montclair career coach and former TV cook, joins the show. Her videos went viral after she described what she says she reported about Cornell fraternities as a freshman more than 30 years ago. They come as Cornell University faces a new lawsuit and a reopened criminal investigation. Content note: this conversation involves allegations of sexual assault.

Also this week: a new "What the Hell" on why the YMCA stairs in downtown Montclair were closed for months, NJ Transit's five-week Midtown Direct diversion to Hoboken, a proposed protected bike lane on Glenridge Avenue, the Montclair Township newsletter you probably didn't know existed, and Darryl "DMC" McDaniels of Run-DMC headlining a Montclair Helps fundraiser. Farnoosh recaps her yard sale, which Mike missed.

• The Montclair Pod: Montclair Board of Education Election 2026: Meet the Candidates
• YouTube: The full MPACT x Montclair Pod candidate forum
• MPACT: Montclair BOE governance report
• The Montclair Pod: Is Our Board of Ed Working? With MPACT's Dan Hafetz

• The Montclair Pod: Mariana Horta: Seven Questions for Montclair's Councilor-at-Large Candidates
• The Montclair Pod: Antoinette "Toni" Martin: Seven Questions for Montclair's Councilor-at-Large Candidates
• The Montclair Pod: Kyle Porro: Seven Questions for Montclair's Councilor-at-Large Candidates
• Township of Montclair: 2026 General Election (Municipal Vacancy: Councilor-at-Large)

• The Montclair Pod: A Cornell Alumna Spoke About What She Saw. Now She Wants Parents to Talk About Consent.
• Instagram: Allison Fishman Task's first video about Cornell
• Instagram: Allison Fishman Task's follow-up video
• Instagram: @allisontaskcoach
• AllisonTask.com: About Allison
• IBTimes UK: Cornell Alum Says She Reported Disturbing Fraternity 'Spy Room' 30 Years Ago
• RAINN: National Sexual Assault Hotline, 800-656-HOPE

• See something in Montclair that needs fixing? Email [email protected] with details and photos.
• YouTube: The Bloodhound Gang theme from PBS's 3-2-1 Contact

• The Montclair Pod: Portal Bridge Work Sends Montclair Commuters to Hoboken for Five Weeks
• NJ Transit: Portal cutover schedules and ticket guidance
• The Montclair Pod: Glenridge Avenue Cycle Track Design Goes Before Residents Oct. 28
• Township of Montclair: Glenridge Avenue Cycle Track Community Meeting, Oct. 28
• NJDEP: Essex-Hudson Greenway
• The Montclair Pod: Montclair Has a Township Newsletter. Who Knew?
• Township of Montclair: October 2026 Township Newsletter (PDF)
• Everbridge: Sign up for the Montclair Township newsletter and alerts
• The Montclair Pod: 11 Big Takeaways From Montclair's New Jitney Report

• The Montclair Pod: Clean-Life Living in Montclair Puts DMC on Stage for Montclair Helps
• Zeffy: Tickets for Clean-Life LIVING, Saturday, Oct. 24
• Montclair Helps
• The Montclair Pod: Montclair's School District Referendum Is Now a Documentary (screening Oct. 21 at Just Jake's

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Six candidates. Three open seats on Montclair’s Board of Education. Who’s asking for your vote—and what do they hope to accomplish?

In this bonus episode, The Montclair Pod partners with MPACT, Montclair Partnership for Accountability, Clarity and Trust, to host a forum featuring all six candidates: Andrew W. Gideon, Ayelet Haran, David Moon, Corey Pierson, Richard Reynics and George Simpson.

Whether you have children in the district or not, school board decisions help shape our schools, our spending and the future of Montclair.

This conversation offers a chance to get beyond the lawn signs before Election Day on Tuesday, November 3.

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A nor’easter pushed Uptown Sound back a week, and it still drew a huge crowd. Mike and Farnoosh recap the festival and talk with organizers Dan Campeas and Dayana Ordonez. Plus, filmmaker Craig Schattner on his school-funding documentary Referendum, a What the Hell on the parking ticket cameras headed to Montclair, a shakeup in the Board of Ed race, Church Street comings and goings, and more.

• Uptown Sound recap and a conversation with organizers Dan Campeas and Dayana Ordonez
• Craig Shattner on his documentary Referendum, with a screening at Just Jake’s on Oct. 21
• What the Hell: parking ticket cameras are coming to Montclair
• News: a Board of Ed candidate withdraws, pink paint on Maple Avenue, and Chip City closes as Oggi Gelato opens on Church Street
• Events: Emily Ladau at the Montclair Art Museum

• Montclair Local: Belleville Has Them. Montclair Is Next: Parking Ticket Cameras Expand in N.J.
• PIX11: SafetySticks popping up in towns across NJ
• Morristown Green: Cameras catch alleged camera vandal in Morristown SafetyStick pilot
• CBS New York: Assemblyman says NJ red light camera program brought no improvements
• 6ABC: End is near for red light cameras in New Jersey
• New Jersey Legislature: S3218, the School Zone Automated Speed Enforcement and Safety Act

• Montclair Local: Brandie Bookhart withdraws from the Board of Education race [LINK TK]
• The Hoboken Girl: Chip City Cookies Is Closing All Locations, Including Hoboken + Montclair
• The Montclair Girl: New Gelateria Coming to Montclair at Former Oasis Clothing Boutique Space

• Montclair Art Museum: Book Talk: Demystifying Disability with Emily Ladau, Monday, Oct. 19
• Tickets and books for the Emily Ladau event at The Montclair Art Museum

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This week on The Montclair Pod, a chance encounter with Gov, Mikie Sherril, Montclair Film's Tom Hall previews the 2026 festival, and public tickets go on sale today. Plus: religious signs at a Bloomfield preschool, the lieutenant governor's resignation, a shuttle bus report, and the end(?) of the swim school saga.

WHAT'S IN THIS EPISODE

We're Signal Awards finalists! Vote for us for Best Local News Podcast and Best Local News Episode by Oct. 15. Be sure to confirm your vote in Signal's email.

What the Hell Is Going On With That? Foundations Prep parents push back on religious and political signs posted by Brookdale Christian Church, their landlord.

Montclair Film Festival preview: Tom Hall on "Wild Horse Nine," Colbert's conversation with Eisenberg, Giamatti and Moore, why "Referendum" didn't make the cut, and his advice for getting tickets. (tickets)

Montclair's jitney: What the township's interim report says about routes, fares and cost. (our 11 takeaways)

Swim school denied: The Planning Board votes down SwimQuest on Valley Road. (full story)

Lt. Gov. Caldwell resigns: What the investigation found, and how Gov. Sherrill fills the seat. (full story)

Sabor Montclair: MFEE's takeout fundraiser, Saturday, Oct. 10. (reserve a meal)

One Big Thing: The Fire Prevention Block Party at Nishuane Park runs 11 a.m.–2 p.m. Saturday. Then Uptown Sound takes over Anderson Park, 2–8 p.m. (The Pod is a media partner of Uptown Sound.)

Resources & Links

From our archive, Montclair Film: Our 2025 festival preview · Last year's episode with Tom Hall · The Arts in Montclair: Voices of the Creators

From our archive, MFEE: Our past episodes with MFEE Executive Director Masiel Rodriquez-Vars: [LINK] / [LINK]

Montclair Film's full 2026 program

Township shuttle bus report

Foundations Prep: Who We Are

Questions or tips? [email protected]

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This week, Supper with the Super is basically doing double duty as What the Hell Is Going On With That? — Montclair Schools Edition.

We sit down with Montclair Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Ruth B. Turner for a candid conversation about the first weeks of the new school year — and some of the biggest questions parents, students and taxpayers are asking right now.

We get into the district’s financial picture, the latest on the forensic audit, concerns around IEPs and special education services, the new cell phone rules, changes in classroom technology, freshman sports — and the middle school dress code controversy, where Dr. Turner shares an important update about what happens next.

We also talk about what feels different inside the district compared with this time last year, what still keeps the superintendent up at night, and what Montclair families should be watching as the school year unfolds.

Then, in town news: another ICE enforcement action in Montclair, a potentially significant change involving the Municipal Building property, and we remember a Montclair-born Grammy and Tony Award-winning musician.

Montclair Township: Current Road Closures & Traffic Impacts — because getting across town lately requires snacks and a contingency plan.

Toros Restaurant — where we recorded this edition of Supper with the Super.

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This week on The Montclair Pod, we dig into how the school district quietly updated the middle school dress code — and the very loud debate it's kicked off among parents, students, and now the Board of Ed. We hear from the 8th grader at Glenfield Middle School who started a petition over it. We also check back in on freshman sports: the community raised enough to bring them back this year, but is this a one-time rescue or an ongoing bill? Plus: your library card can save you money around town this month, two festivals close out September, a leadership shakeup at the BID, and Stephen Colbert's unexpected next act.

WHAT'S IN THIS EPISODE

• Dress code showdown: The middle schools updated their clothing policy, and it's led to a real fight over what counts as "appropriate length" and who decides. We read the policy, hear from parents on both sides of the debate, and sit down with Glenfield 8th grader Phoebe Chaffin, who started a petition calling on the district to reconsider it. (Montclair Pod: "An Eighth Grader Challenged Montclair's Middle School Dress Code. Now the District Is Taking Another Look" · see the community reaction on our Instagram)
• Freshman sports, the sequel: Blue & White Club co-founder Laura Quiros joins us to talk about what the community's fundraising push accomplished, what's still needed toward the club's $350K annual goal, and the bigger question — was this a one-time emergency save, or is Montclair signed up to keep funding freshman sports going forward? (more on the fundraising effort)
• Downtown leadership change: Montclair Center BID executive director Cesar Claro has stepped down, citing health reasons. (full story)
• Your library card just got more valuable: The Montclair Public Library's "Library Card Local Perks" program runs through September 30th — see the full list of participating businesses.
• Uptown Sound needs you: The inaugural Uptown Sound Music Festival hits Anderson Park on Saturday, September 26th, and organizers are still looking for volunteers (they'll feed you). Sign up here.
• Montclair Dance Festival returns: The second annual festival takes over the Wellmont Arts Plaza on Sunday, September 27th, with 35+ dance companies and schools performing. Get details and tickets.
• Stephen Colbert's next act: Turns out it's software. The Hollywood Reporter says Colbert's writers'-room startup, Scripto, just closed a $5 million seed round with backers including J.J. Abrams and Mark Cuban. (read the story)
• Saturday is the Upper Montclair Sidewalk Sale featuring local businesses and music Learn more.

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This week, we sit down with comedian and Trump impersonator J-L. Cauvin — who also happens to be a full-time eviction prevention attorney and once ran for Congress in this district — to talk about his viral impression, why he never left the law, and what it was like campaigning against Anna Lilia Mejia. Plus: a Church Street development finally gets a tax-break green light, Montclair's water lines show a stark lead divide by ward, and we remember 9/11 and Gloria Steinem.

In this episode:

• Tomorrow marks the 25th anniversary of 9/11 — Farnoosh and Mike share where they were that day, plus details on the Essex Remembers ceremony at Eagle Rock Reservation (8 a.m.)
• Remembering Gloria Steinem, who passed away last week at 93 — including Farnoosh's near-encounter with her on an Amtrak train
• The viral story of a Dallas-to-Newark flight diverted to Baltimore after a passenger was duct-taped to his seat; he's since lost his job and faces assault charges
• J.L. Cauvin — the Bloomfield-based comedian behind one of the internet's most popular Trump impersonations — on how his impression started in 2014, his day job as an eviction prevention attorney in the Bronx, and his 2025 run for Congress in the seat now held by Anna Lilia Mejia
• A commercial real estate update: the Township Council voted 5–1 to transfer a 30-year PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) agreement for the long-stalled 59–65 Church Street development to new owner Dobco Group, with a facade deadline of October 31
• New reporting shows a stark ward-by-ward divide in lead service lines — about 10% in the third ward and 9.5% in the fourth, versus 5–7% in wards one and two
• A public meeting is set for September 30 on a potential Montclair shuttle bus system
• The Montclair Public Library wants resident input on how to spend its $36.7 million state award for the South Fullerton and Bellevue Avenue branch renovations
• The townwide yard sale is set for September 20 — permits required
• Mounties football notches its first win of the season, 18-8 over Bloomfield, under new head coach Manj Singh

Resources & Links

• Matt Kadosh's reporting on the Church Street PILOT transfer — Montclair Local [https://montclairlocal.news/2026/08/montclair-advances-tax-break-transfer-for-long-stalled-church-street-project/]
• Corey McDonald's reporting on lead service lines by ward — Montclair Local 
• NJ's 2021 lead service line replacement law 
• Deputy Mayor Susan Shin Anderson's shuttle bus committee Instagram post — Instagram
• Montclair Public Library capital survey
• Townwide yard sale sign-up & permit info [add link]
• Edward Kenzick's recap of the Mounties' first win — Montclair Local 
• J.L. Cauvin on Instagram/YouTube 
• Essex Remembers 9/11 ceremony details — Essex County
• Questions or tips? [email protected]

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It's the first day of school, and we're digging into Montclair's new cell phone and Chromebook rules with Screen Aware Montclair co-founder Jordan Goldberg, breaking down the massive Meta settlement, and introducing you to Beltley — the brand-new "town" that popped up overnight in a field between Nutley and Belleville, whose founder has some choice words for Montclair. Plus: a loaded magazine (no gun) found at a West Orange movie theater, a new Italian steakhouse coming to town, a rough night for Mounties football, a Tupac tribute event, and a very special tease for next week's show.

In this episode:

• First day of school for Montclair public schools; private schools are staggered, with MKA starting September 9 and Lacordaire on September 11
• WTH: police cleared a West Orange AMC theater mid-screening after finding a loaded gun magazine, plus a breakdown of how NJ's concealed carry "sensitive places" law (still tied up in the full Third Circuit) applies to movie theaters
• Jordan Goldberg of Screen Aware Montclair on the district's "off-and-away" cell phone policy, a wild story about predictive text getting quietly turned on in a fourth-grade classroom, and how Montclair's rules stack up against South Orange-Maplewood's stricter, AI-blocking ban
• Meta's $17.1 billion multistate settlement over addictive app design for kids — New Jersey's roughly $50–75 million-a-year cut, and why some say it barely dents Meta's ~$201 billion in 2025 revenue
• Introducing Beltley: the micronation John "Cozz" Cozzarelli of Cozz Coffee declared in a field between Nutley and Belleville, plus his collab with comedian Chris Gethard, "Lord Let Me Die in Essex County"
• Three candidates — Mariana Horta, Kyle Porro, and Antoinette "Toni" Martin — have filed for Montclair's open at-large town council seat, up for a November vote
• De Novo owner Demetri Malki is opening an Italian steakhouse, Cassaforte, in the old Chase Bank building on Bloomfield Avenue, targeting spring 2027
• Mounties football fell 42-7 to Ridgewood in the season opener, but showed real fight against a team playing its entire season on the road due to stadium issues
• A preview of "2Pac Revisited," a full day of programming September 12 — including a Michael Eric Dyson panel — marking 30 years since Tupac Shakur's death
• A tease for next week: Farnoosh and Mike say they landed an interview with President Trump — stay tuned, because it's not quite what it seems

• Screen Aware Montclair
• NJ's "bell-to-bell" cell phone law (S-3695/A-4882) signed by Gov. Murphy — NJSBA
• NJDOE updated bell-to-bell guidance (PDF)
• South Orange-Maplewood's tech policy goals — Village Green NJ
• Meta's $17.1B child-safety settlement — NPR
• NY AG announcement on the Meta settlement coalition (incl. NJ)
• North Jersey man declares the town of Beltley — NJ 101.5
• Cozz declares new town in the Nutley-Belleville gap — News 12 NJ
• Cozz Coffee
• "Lord Let Me Die in Essex County" — Cozz & Chris Gethard (YouTube)
• NJ's sensitive-places gun law heads back to the full Third Circuit — NJ Monitor
• Who's running for Montclair's open town council seat — Patch
• De Novo owner plans new Italian steakhouse Cassaforte — Montclair Girl
• Montclair Mounties football schedule — MaxPreps
• 2Pac Revisited
• Questions or tips? [email protected]

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Happening on October 21.

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