Early voting opened, and a bomb threat briefly shut down one of Essex County’s polling sites. A utility made its pitch for the land under Town Hall, and the Montclair Film Festival closed out another year. If you were busy, here’s the Montclair news worth catching up on before the week gets going.
Mail-In Ballot Applications Are Due Tuesday
If you’re planning to vote by mail and haven’t applied yet, you’re almost out of time. The deadline to apply for a mail-in ballot is Oct. 27. Voters can still apply in person at the Essex County Clerk’s Office until 3 p.m. the day before the election.
If you’d rather vote in person, early voting runs through Nov. 1. Montclair voters can use any early voting site in Essex County. Find locations and hours at vote.nj.gov.
Montclair’s ballot runs from Washington to the Board of Education. Voters will pick a U.S. senator and a member of the House of Representatives. Montclair is split between two congressional districts, so check your sample ballot to see which race is yours. At the county level, the Essex County executive seat and several county commissioner seats are up. Closer to home, three seats on the Board of Education and the councilor-at-large seat are open. To get past the lawn signs, read our Board of Education candidate forum coverage and our Q&As with all three councilor-at-large candidates.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.
Bomb Threat Briefly Shuts Down Turtle Back Zoo Voting Site
The first day of early voting didn’t go smoothly everywhere in the county. On Saturday morning, the Essex County Sheriff’s Office got a call about a bomb threat at Turtle Back Zoo in West Orange, which is serving as an early voting site. The call came in at 10:45 a.m., and the site was evacuated while deputies swept the grounds.
No bomb was found. Voting resumed at the site by 12:20 p.m., though the zoo stayed closed to visitors for the rest of the day. The sheriff’s office says the investigation is ongoing.
This isn’t the first time threats have disrupted voting in the state. Last November, bomb threats temporarily interrupted voting in Paterson, Ewing and Bergen County.
PSE&G Wants a New Substation at the Municipal Complex
Montclair’s electrical substation at 60 Valley Road was built in 1925, and PSE&G says it’s due for replacement. According to the township, the facility serves about 9,000 customers, including 21 schools, five emergency facilities and 38 houses of worship. PSE&G says aging equipment there has contributed to power outages.
The utility’s preferred replacement site is the Municipal Complex. That’s about 1.96 acres covering 205 Claremont Avenue, 57 Park Street and 68 North Fullerton Avenue. PSE&G formally expressed interest in May and took its case to the Township Council on Oct. 20.
The township’s new FAQ is careful on one point. Ordinance O-26-39, which would adopt a redevelopment plan for the property, does not approve a substation. The plan would allow public utility use among other options. Any substation would still need township review, and PSE&G has not yet set dates for the public meetings it has promised.
Montclair Is Replacing Water Meters, and It’s Free
If you’ve gotten a notice about your water meter, it’s legitimate. The Montclair Water Bureau is replacing meters as required by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities. The work is being done through its authorized contractor, MeterTek Utility Services, Inc., at no cost to residents.
The swap takes about 30 minutes, and someone has to let the installer reach the meter inside your home. Book an appointment at 833-505-5412, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., or online. MeterTek representatives may also stop by properties that are due.
Montclair Film Wraps Its Festival, and Kate McKinnon Is Up Next
The Montclair Film Festival closed Sunday with Tony Gilroy’s Behemoth! at the Montclair Kimberley Academy Upper School. Gilroy received the festival’s 2026 Filmmaker Tribute after a Q&A moderated by Montclair’s own Stephen Colbert.
The final week also brought Ava DuVernay’s documentary 14th on Friday. On Saturday, “The Debut” screened with Colbert moderating a conversation with Julianne Moore, Paul Giamatti and Jesse Eisenberg.
Colbert isn’t done yet. On Saturday, Dec. 5, he’ll sit down with Kate McKinnon at Prudential Hall at NJPAC in Newark for Montclair Film’s annual benefit. It’s the latest in a series of conversations that has included Meryl Streep, Martin Scorsese and Jon Stewart. Proceeds support Montclair Film, which runs the festival along with The Clairidge and The Bellevue, and NJPAC’s arts education programs. The show starts at 8 p.m., and tickets are on Ticketmaster.
