The selectmen said they would not put the offer for the 118- acre Mitchell Field property on the March town meeting warrant.
If the town had voted to accept the money, the Harpswell Coastal Coalition would have been guaranteed a permanent conservation easement on the town-owned land, prohibiting heavy industry there.
Selectmen Amy Haible and James Henderson agreed that they would try to work with members of the coalition to refine the proposal for future consideration. They said the offer was too vague, lacking a strict definition for heavy industry.
Samuel Alexander, the board's chairman, said the offer had no merit.
"I just think this (proposal) needs a lot more work," said Haible, who said voters own the land and should have the ability to decide what happens there.
Haible and Henderson said the offer left too many questions and they questioned why no one from the Harpswell Coastal Coalition attended Thursday night's meeting.
Instead, John Loyd, a local attorney who has no affiliation with the group, presented the offer to the selectmen.
Loyd said it was his decision to go alone, out of concern that the meeting could turn contentious.
Loyd noted that just a few years ago Mitchell Field became a battleground over a plan to lease it for use as a liquefied natural gas terminal.
"I can feel the tension and it stinks," said Patricia McGovern, who said she supports restrictions on heavy industry.
Others scoffed at the $2 million offer.
"They want to give us just enough money to go to McDonald's and buy a burger," Glenn Gott said.
Former Selectman James Knight, who helped negotiate the LNG lease agreement, urged the selectmen to walk away from the offer.
He said the easement would tie up a valuable piece of town land forever. "Two million dollars seems like nothing to me," Knight said.
Loyd, who has been the moderator at past town meetings, argued that it would be unfair for a three-member board of selectmen to prevent residents from weighing in on the issue.
Loyd proposed a secret ballot vote to reduce the possibility of controversy.
"I think the voters deserve the opportunity to say yes or no to this proposal," Loyd said.
Staff Writer Dennis Hoey can be contacted at 725-8795 or at: dhoey@pressherald.com
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