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.
In this episode
- The Montclair Pod and MPACT’s Board of Education candidate forum: how the six candidates voted on the referendum, and their academic goals
- Farnoosh’s Google Form mishap with the councilor-at-large candidates
- Allison Fishman Task on what she says she reported at Cornell more than 30 years ago
- What the Hell: why the YMCA stairs were closed for months
- News: NJ Transit’s Hoboken diversion, the Glenridge Avenue cycle track and the township newsletter
- Events: Montclair Helps’ Clean-Life LIVING with DMC, and the Referendum screening at Just Jake’s
Board of Education candidate forum
- 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
Councilor-at-large race
- 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)
Allison Fishman Task on Cornell
- 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
What the Hell resources
- See something in Montclair that needs fixing? Email fixit@montclairpod.com with details and photos.
- YouTube: The Bloodhound Gang theme from PBS’s 3-2-1 Contact
News
- 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