Richard Novia, "chief of security" of Newtown schools (is Newtown a nation-state? But anyway...) had an interesting history of pressuring the district into buying expensive surveillance systems. Two of the men who worked with him on the plan were superintendent of schools John Reed, and high school principle Bill Manfredonia.

[link to www.securitysales.com]

This 2004 article, a little too gushing for its heroes' own good, details how Novia, Reed and Manfredonia pushed parents, staff and administrators into considering a massive surveillance system for Newtown high school. When the latter loudly resisted, mysterious disasters befell the school: a fire broke out resulting in total loss of one room, and the temporary closing of the school. The school reopened, only to have a flood on the third floor collapse ceilings below, closing an entire wing of the school.

The good people of Newtown gratefully changed their minds on the surveillance system. Novia himself investigated and identified the "students" responsible.

Though Novia said he had been researching a surveillance system for over three years, immediately after the "string of unlucky events," a local contractor "fell out of the sky" and they were "right here in Newtown." The article states, "Superintendent Reed; principal Bill Manfredonia; vice principal Jules Triber; and Bienkowski, the business executive, met with J.P. Freeman Co. to discuss the system."

$60,000 plus an unspecified amount for labor was then spent by a grateful populace, eager to subdue and shame the teenaged graffiti artists, TP-ers, and other mortal threats to Newtown's well-being (no further major fires nor ceiling collapses materialized).

Interestingly, school principle Bill Manfredonia retired 29 days after the article's publication.

Fast-forward to 2012; current superintendent of schools Janet Robinson verbally agreed to resign from the Newtown school district on December 13, 2012--one day before the shooting.

[link to newtown.patch.com]

Obviously that's its own mystery, but guess who was just appointed interim superintendent? John Reed.

The questions have to be asked, at this point.

After Newtown said "no" to the high school surveillance system pushed by Reed, Novia and Manfredonia in 2004, the school experienced a "string of unlucky events" after which Reed, Novia, and Manfredonia promptly got their surveillance system.

Eight years later, the unthinkable happens at a Newtown school, and Reed, Novia and the Manfredonias--for whatever reason--are all in the headlines again on issues related to Newtown schools.

Yes, it's a small town. And perhaps an outlandish suggestion. But don't these coincidences demand investigation, if only to ensure they are, in fact, only coincidences? Wouldn't any normal investigator in 2004 have asked at least briefly whether the high school's unprecedented "string of unlucky events" was in fact simple sabotage by individuals who knew the school building inside and out, and which resulted in Newtown, almost overnight, accepting the surveillance system? And wouldn't an investigator today ask, at least quietly, why Reed, Novia, and the Manfredonias are suddenly back in the headlines on issues regarding Newtown schools, just in time for what will certainly be the most significant series of expenditures on school security systems in the district's (and the state's, and the nation's) history? Surveillance systems that, because of Sandy Hook, literally cannot be objected to, for all practical purposes?

Is there any financial or political relationship between these gentlemen and security companies, or for that matter with companies contracted to construct, repair, reconstruct or demolish public school buildings?

These guys could all be completely clean, and despite the rather strong smell emanating from Denmark, I go on the assumption that they are clean, until proven otherwise. And if they're good guys just caught up in the strange, coincidence-riddled vortex that is Newtown, CT, I apologize and wish them well. If we look hard enough, maybe all our towns are coincidence-riddled, for that matter. But any real investigator would be asking these questions, imo. And since no real investigators seem to be around, that leaves us regular people, as usual.

Richard Novia, "chief of security" of Newtown schools (is Newtown a nation-state? But anyway...) had an interesting history of pressuring the district into buying expensive surveillance systems. Two of the men who worked with him on the plan were superintendent of schools John Reed, and high school principle Bill Manfredonia.

[link to www.securitysales.com]

This 2004 article, a little too gushing for its heroes' own good, details how Novia, Reed and Manfredonia pushed parents, staff and administrators into considering a massive surveillance system for Newtown high school. When the latter loudly resisted, mysterious disasters befell the school: a fire broke out resulting in total loss of one room, and the temporary closing of the school. The school reopened, only to have a flood on the third floor collapse ceilings below, closing an entire wing of the school.

The good people of Newtown gratefully changed their minds on the surveillance system. Novia himself investigated and identified the "students" responsible.

Though Novia said he had been researching a surveillance system for over three years, immediately after the "string of unlucky events," a local contractor "fell out of the sky" and they were "right here in Newtown." The article states, "Superintendent Reed; principal Bill Manfredonia; vice principal Jules Triber; and Bienkowski, the business executive, met with J.P. Freeman Co. to discuss the system."

$60,000 plus an unspecified amount for labor was then spent by a grateful populace, eager to subdue and shame the teenaged graffiti artists, TP-ers, and other mortal threats to Newtown's well-being (no further major fires nor ceiling collapses materialized).

Interestingly, school principle Bill Manfredonia retired 29 days after the article's publication.

Fast-forward to 2012; current superintendent of schools Janet Robinson verbally agreed to resign from the Newtown school district on December 13, 2012--one day before the shooting.

[link to newtown.patch.com]

Obviously that's its own mystery, but guess who was just appointed interim superintendent? John Reed.

The questions have to be asked, at this point.

After Newtown said "no" to the high school surveillance system pushed by Reed, Novia and Manfredonia in 2004, the school experienced a "string of unlucky events" after which Reed, Novia, and Manfredonia promptly got their surveillance system.

Eight years later, the unthinkable happens at a Newtown school, and Reed, Novia and the Manfredonias--for whatever reason--are all in the headlines again on issues related to Newtown schools.

Yes, it's a small town. And perhaps an outlandish suggestion. But don't these coincidences demand investigation, if only to ensure they are, in fact, only coincidences? Wouldn't any normal investigator in 2004 have asked at least briefly whether the high school's unprecedented "string of unlucky events" was in fact simple sabotage by individuals who knew the school building inside and out, and which resulted in Newtown, almost overnight, accepting the surveillance system? And wouldn't an investigator today ask, at least quietly, why Reed, Novia, and the Manfredonias are suddenly back in the headlines on issues regarding Newtown schools, just in time for what will certainly be the most significant series of expenditures on school security systems in the district's (and the state's, and the nation's) history? Surveillance systems that, because of Sandy Hook, literally cannot be objected to, for all practical purposes?

Is there any financial or political relationship between these gentlemen and security companies, or for that matter with companies contracted to construct, repair, reconstruct or demolish public school buildings?

These guys could all be completely clean, and despite the rather strong smell emanating from Denmark, I go on the assumption that they are clean, until proven otherwise. And if they're good guys just caught up in the strange, coincidence-riddled vortex that is Newtown, CT, I apologize and wish them well. If we look hard enough, maybe all our towns are coincidence-riddled, for that matter. But any real investigator would be asking these questions, imo. And since no real investigators seem to be around, that leaves us regular people, as usual.