Anne Leslie, a member of the town's comprehensive plan committee, reminded us of something at a news conference that many of us had forgotten. When National RE/sources, parent company of the proposed Point East maritime village, urged us to support them in 2005, their promotional brochure said it would mean "eliminating heavy industry."

Now they would like us to raise the height ordinance so they can build a $1.5 billion coal gasification plant. National RE/sources has been repeating two numbers, over and over again, in an effort to drum up support. Those numbers are 200 and 81: 200 permanent jobs and 81 percent of your taxes will be paid.

Here's some more numbers. Go back to October of 2004. At the $50,000 champagne luncheon, paid for by taxpayers, to celebrate the "launch" of Point East, president Joe Cotter promised to restore the tax base once provided by Maine Yankee, saying they would bring five to 10 companies a year to Wiscasset. So far there is still only one tenant in the Point East iPark - Rynel, which had already indicated an interest in relocating here from Boothbay before the park was built. And their other project, the maritime village, is at a standstill.

The benefits of gasification technology, a technology which seems ill suited to Maine and New England, will continue for years - or not. But with the weak track record National RE/sources has here, are they the company we want to trust again? A vote "no" would give another company a chance - and maybe get the jobs and lower taxes we all want.