RUMFORD — In less than 10 minutes and without discussion, voters at Thursday night’s special town meeting enacted a 180-day moratorium on commercial wind farm development.

By a show of hands, a majority of the slightly more than 100 people decided they wanted the opportunity to understand and evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of wind development before any project come to town.

Former Town Manager Len Greaney, spokesman for the Wind Power Education Committee that is behind the citizen-initiated petition, said the vote spoke volumes to the committee.

“I think it was an overwhelming ‘yes,'” Greaney said afterward in the Rumford Falls Auditorium where the 6 p.m. meeting was held.

“People need time to look at the facts and consider the options – both pros and cons – of wind power,” he said.

The committee pressed for a moratorium this fall after incorrectly believing that Boston-based independent wind energy company First Wind was about to push through a wind farm project.

In fact, First Wind is still testing winds atop Rumford peaks and is nowhere near proposing such a project. Contacted after the moratorium was enacted, First Wind spokesman John Lamontagne in Boston said the company appreciates the consideration by Rumford selectmen of the issue.

“First Wind has a track record of having an open and transparent public process when developing projects,” Lamontagne wrote in an e-mail.

“We have successfully worked with several Maine communities to deliver numerous economic opportunities associated with the construction and operation of our projects,” he wrote. “First Wind is working toward meeting Maine’s immediate energy needs with renewable and affordable electricity.”

Greaney said the committee, which meets once a week, is developing an ethics agreement for members to sign.It states that they have nothing to gain personally from gathering facts to educate the public. By signing the contract, members must be willing to discuss and research both pros and cons of wind power in the community and to gather facts, not opinions or beliefs.

Moderator John Patrick spent more time laying down the rules of the meeting than was spent on the show-of-hands vote. Only a few voted against the moratorium.

After reading the moratorium article, Patrick asked for a show of hands from those interested in speaking on the issue. Not a hand went up.

Had someone indicated they wanted to speak against the moratorium, Greaney said he and committee member Roger Arsenault would have also raised their hands to speak.

“We looked around, and where we didn’t see anyone raise their hands to speak, we thought it important to just let it lie,” Greaney said.

Patrick sought a motion on the article, which was made by Selectman Greg Buccina to enact a 180-day moratorium.

Former Selectman Jolene Lovejoy seconded it; voters approved it, and Patrick ended the meeting at 6:08 p.m.

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Rumford residents voted to enact a six-month moratorium on commercial wind power projects Thursday night.