AP photo Concerned citizens raise their hands during a GOP town hall meeting with Reps. Celeste Malloy and Mike Kennedy, R-Utah, in March in Salt Lake City.

Former U.S. Rep. Tom Reed of New York knew he would be walking into a buzzsaw in 2017 during town hall meetings with constituents. In a New York Times video taken in North Harmony in February of that year, Reed stood calmly — and composed — while listening to concerns of those in attendance about the Affordable Care Act.

At that moment, during the first Donald Trump presidency, there were concerns the health plan approved during President Barack Obama’s tenure would be going away. Reed, who represented Chautauqua County as part of the Southern Tier District 23, listened to those who spoke and shouted loudly in its favor. He also responded with why he was considering voting against it.

“I hear some sentiment that the act was broken, the act wasn’t working and you want us to fix it,” he said while standing outside the Senior Center. “What we want to do is replace it with a health care system that works better for all Americans.”

Throughout the chaos and yelling, Reed was respectful for those with opposing views. He listened, even though he could not always be heard when he attempted to answer.

Those scenes are very similar to town halls that took place around the nation in February and March. Congressional Republicans were taking heat from those in attendance for Trump policies, Elon Musk and the potential cuts that were coming from the Department of Government Efficiency.

It was not a good look.

That is why federal elected officials favor dialing up telephone conferences with constituents. On Wednesday night, current U.S. Rep. Nick Langworthy for District 23 was offering his take on the national issues in the controlled environment. Screeners allow the questions while the audience listens.

Some — especially those who did not vote for Langworthy — are critical of the format, but seeing the upheaval that was a town hall in 2017 in Chautauqua County is enough to make elected officials think twice about engaging with residents in person.

For his part, Langworthy was making the rounds in the region on Monday for Memorial Day services. He spoke at the Knights of Columbus service at the Dunkirk Lighthouse at 8:30 a.m. and was in Jamestown later taking part in the ceremonies as well as the parade.

For the record, Langworthy has been consistent. Since being elected, he said he was not going to hold town hall events.

This region’s representative is of the same mindset. U.S. Rep. Glenn “G.T.” Thompson was posed a question on his lack of public gatherings in April.

“We know they’re mostly protesting President Trump and Elon Musk, who are doing their jobs,” Thompson said in the Centre Daily Times in April. “They’re doing their jobs in a way I think every American, including those (protesting) individuals, is going to benefit.”

Those meetings offer an echo chamber for opponents. The louder they become, the more frustrating for the representative.

Before Reed, Brian Higgins, a Democrat, was Chautauqua County’s Congressional representative. Like Langworthy and Thompson, he too did not hold town hall meetings while serving this area — especially to hear from residents regarding their opinions on the Affordable Health Care Act.

He knew he was aligned with Obama on the plan. Voices here did not matter.

Reed was not of that mindset. He saw value in those events.

Langworthy, who is politically opposite of Higgins, has followed his Buffalo-area predecessor when it comes to dealing with constituents. Controlling the message is more important than allowing the crowd to steal the show.

John D’Agostino is editor of the Times Observer, The Post-Journal and OBSERVER in Dunkirk, N.Y. Send comments to jdagostino@observertoday.com or call 814-723-8200, ext. 253.