It was good to see Rep. Tom Reed, R-Corning, in the district last week to discuss how the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill passed by Congress in November could help Chautauqua County.

Reed was one of only 13 Republicans to vote for the Democrat-led bill. Frankly, while we shudder to think about what such continued spending does to the federal deficit, we also acknowledge that there are literally hundreds of worthy infrastructure projects in Chautauqua County that can improve the lives of all county residents in one way or another.

The Corning Republican seemed poised for big things only a year ago, before reports of his sexual misconduct with a lobbyist brought to an early end a potential run for governor of New York state.

It’s noteworthy that after spending much of last year staying quiet, Reed has been more active recently — putting out a statement on the anniversary of the Jan. 6 riot in Washington, D.C. and making his trip to Falconer to discuss the infrastructure bill.

As the Republican Party tries to find its future, Reed finds himself in an interesting position. He doesn’t have to watch what he says and does not have to please anyone in Washington, D.C. He’s not running for another office. That frees Reed to speak bluntly about the issues he sees fermenting in both the 23rd Congressional District and the country as a whole. That freedom could allow Reed to do more good in the next 11 months than he has done during his 11 prior years in Congress.

Reed has 11 months remaining as our congressman. How will he use them?