FFICIALS SHOW ACCOUNTABILITY

There are a couple of faces in the region that we will be seeing less of in the near future. Bob Sfreddo has served as District 10 chief engineer of the Missouri Highway and Transportation Department since 1987. Peter C. Magrath has been president of the University of Missouri system since 1985. Both will be moving on to new positions soon, leaving behind positive contributions for the citizens they served and a good example for other public officials.

While both have been answerable to taxpayers of the state, the two men are leaving diverse jobs. Sfreddo, who has been headquartered in Sikeston and will take a new department position in Jefferson City, has overseen a good deal of highway and bridge development and maintenance in Southeast Missouri. He has been particularly skillful locally in guiding the planning for the proposed Mississippi River bridge and Kingshighway improvements.

Magrath, who will take a job with a national higher education association in Washington, D.C., has been an effective spokesman for the needs of colleges and universities in Missouri. He was a regular visitor to Southeast Missouri, working hard to spread the University of Missouri's mission to all corners of the state.

What these two men have in common is a healthy perspective on who they work for. Neither Sfreddo and Magrath have insulated themselves in their offices; they have shown up regularly at public forums and submit themselves to questions from the people who pay their salaries. They have been cooperative with the news media, returning phone calls and offering candid answers. Sometimes the things they had to say were unpopular, but they didn't hedge on saying them. Their understanding of accountability is admirable and all too rare.

We wish them well in their new endeavors.