Rather than taking advantage of a local pool of experienced millworkers in West Linn, Mr. Stern advertised on the Internet, and more than 80% of the 300 available jobs went to people from away.

Did the tax incentives that were offered to Belgravia Paper help the company to grow and to expand its operations in West Linn? The answer is no, as today the company employs only 295 people, according to Ian Dunlap, its Human Resources Director.

Employees of the West Linn mill earn less money under Belgravia than they did under Simpson Paper and, while they were offered a profit sharing plan, after six years of operation under Belgravia management, no one has yet collected a check.

Does this sound familiar to anyone?

Let’s look at Belgravia’s Pasadena, Texas  mill. While Simpson Paper employed more than 1,000 millworkers, it currently employs 320 people, according to Mabel Slaven, a spokesperson for Belgravia.

Let’s face the facts. The mill in Millinocket is never going to be what it once was. No one has been lying to us about that, yet it seems as if so many of us yet refuse to think about what it means.

At best, the Millinocket mill is going to emply only a few hundred people, and it seems likely that few of the furloughed GNP millworkers will be rehired.

West Linn had a much younger group, yet fewer than 20% of them were rehired.

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What is more likely to happen is that people from away are going to snatch up your houses for a song after you are no longer able to keep up with the mortgage payments, when you can’t pay your taxes, or when you realize that you can’t find work here in town.

The town council sent a message Thursday that they are willing to give a $17 million tax break to an unknown buyer who will probably live in Canada, and whose profits will probably find their way back to Canada.

Does that sound familiar to anyone? Are they offering you a tax break?

It will probably be argued that the council has acted in order to promote business, or to provide jobs.

Did they? Let’s think about it.

According to too many reports to be ignored:

• Approximately 5 years ago, UPS was interested in building a sorting facility near the Millinocket airport that would have provided up to 400 jobs. Not only were no tax incentives offered, but the town council discouraged it.
• Gary Jandreau, the owner of the Christmas Shop, wanted to build a theme park on the east side of Millinocket Stream. He had the financing and the necessary permits to erect a bridge over the stream to carry a narrow-gauge railroad. Not only did the town fail to offer tax incentives but the town code enforcement officer refused to allow the project. This would not only have provided jobs directly, but it promised to attract tourism to the Millinocket area.
• A few years ago, Bangor and Aroostook Railroad asked for tax incentives in order to build a $1 million facility in Millinocket. None were offered, and the facility was built elsewhere.
• Interest was shown in establishing a restaurant at the Great Northern Barn as recently as November of 2002. No tax incentives were offered, and the project was discouraged.

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