As a freshman member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Mike Kelly of Butler won’t be in a position to have an overwhelming impact on the direction and accomplishments of the 112th Congress.

But there presumably will be times when he will be required to cast an important vote on a critical issue, and Kelly should remain committed to basing that vote — and any other vote — on a total command of what’s at stake with the issue.

Members of Congress sometimes are faulted for voting without being familiar with all of the details in a bill. That must not be a mark of Kelly’s congressional service.

At his swearing-in on Wednesday, the congressman stated correctly that it is important “to do the right thing.”

That comment fell in line with an important comment by the new House speaker, Rep. John Boehner of Ohio, who remarked, “We gather in a time of great challenge. No longer can we fall short. No longer can we kick the can down the road. The people voted to end business as usual, and today we begin carrying out their instructions.”

On “business as usual,” it’s important that Kelly works hard to honor that pledge. “Ending business as usual” was one of the pledges Democrats made when they took control of the House, but former Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California failed to deliver on that promise.

The beating that Democrats took in the Nov. 2 general election, in which Kelly defeated incumbent Democrat Kathy Dahlkemper of Erie, was due partly to that broken promise — as well as the continuing controversy over the new health care reform law that Democrats managed to pass.

It’s important that Kelly keep in mind that, while he’ll be expected to stay in sync with the goals of his party and Republican congressional leaders, it’s still foremost that he represent the best interests of his constituents back home, even if he must butt heads with some important people in Congress and Washington to keep that point at the forefront.

Amid all that and everything that took place during the swearing-in ceremony Wednesday, Butler County Republican Chairman Art Rauschenberger was right when he observed, “It’s a super-proud moment for Butler,” having one of its own in the halls of Congress. Kelly is the first Butler County resident to serve in the national Legislature since Republican Gary Myers in the 1970s.

If Kelly performs as well in Congress as he’s performed in the local business community throughout his adult life, his constituents — indeed, people across America — can look forward to a representative in Congress who will make them proud.

But that must not spawn expectations beyond Kelly’s position as a freshman congressman. The next two years will be a learning process as well as an opportunity to help get important work done, in conjunction with his congressional colleagues.

Wednesday was a great day for Mike Kelly, but it also was a great day for Butler County. It is to be hoped that he is at least partly responsible for many more great days for the people of the 3rd District, Pennsylvania and the rest of the nation.

He has the qualifications.