Rep. Tom Reed surprises sit-in participants in Ithaca

After beginning his day meeting with President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, U.S. Rep. Tom Reed, R- Corning, ended Thursday with a surprise appearance in Ithaca.

Six people from Ithaca Catholic Workers began a sit-in Tuesday at Reed’s downtown Ithaca office at 401 State St., hoping to get the attention of the Republican congressman who last had a town hall in the area on May 2, 2016 at Cornell. The number of sit-in participants grew slightly over the next two days and then their efforts were rewarded around 10:30 p.m. Thursday when Reed arrived.

Reed met with residents for almost two hours, discussing both local and national issues. City of Ithaca Common Council members Ducson Nguyen and Seph Murtagh also were on hand during Reed’s appearance. Both have been actively asking for Reed to schedule a town hall in Tompkins County.

"It was very spontaneous and unexpected and fairly informal, but I am glad that it happened," Murtagh said during an interview Friday. "No one expected Congressman Reed to show up close to midnight, but we had a positive discussion."

“The sit-in worked!” Nguyen said on Twitter. “@RepTomReed showed up in Ithaca. Talking about immigration and fossil fuels."

“...It was a cordial discussion and we do truly appreciate him coming by. Still much, much disagreement. Hope he considers concerns.”

Other topics included the Dakota Access Pipeline, the Affordable Care Act and his relationship with Ithaca.

Of the 11 upstate New York counties Reed represents, Tompkins County was the only one Reed lost in the 2016 election.

Members of the sit-in said they disagreed with Reed’s approval of many of the president’s policies.

Reed referred to the protesters as extremists on Wednesday morning’s “Fox & Friends” and invited them to town hall meetings he is conducting this weekend in western New York.

“We support the First Amendment and know that different opinions are part of our democracy, and look forward to a respectful conversation,” Reed said in an emailed statement earlier in the week. “I have held more than 200 town halls since being elected, including all counties I represent, and we will again hold town halls in all 11 counties this year.”

OUR OPINION: Rep. Reed must stop ignoring Ithaca

Although the pressure was on Reed, the Ithaca constituents said they were able to understand Reed's point of view even though the constituents and Reed had fundamental disagreements.

"He represents 11 counties and 10 of those counties are fairly rural," Murtagh said. "He's trying to bridge that divide. Last night, we all made attempts to bridge the divide with conversations on both sides."

The Common Council members said they were grateful for the effort the Ithaca Catholic Worker put into the three-day sit-in at Reed's Ithaca office.

"From my own experience, we have not had a strong relationship with his office," Murtagh said. "I shouldn't think it would be that hard to have a discussion. The whole campaign, I thought, was effective."

Participants in the discussion said they hope a town hall meeting may be held in downtown Ithaca in the spring.

"I don't think (Reed) will change his long-term views," Nguyen said during an interview Friday. "Hopefully, he may better engage this part of the district that feels neglected."

Reed met with the president and vice president earlier Thursday to discuss the controversy that led to the resignation of National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.

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