BEKKI COOK LEAVING ON A HIGH NOTE

A lot of folks hereabouts have watched Secretary of State Bekki Cook's performance with interest. After all, she is one of us. Recently, she announced that she would not seek re-election and would leave public office when her term expires in January 2001.

This came as a surprise to a lot of her supporters and admirers in the Cape Girardeau area, just as it was a surprise when Gov. Mel Carnahan appointed Cook to step in after her predecessor, Judi Moriarty, was impeached. Subsequently, Cook was elected to a full four-year term.

There had been talk that Cook would be a likely candidate for governor, possibly in the 2000 election. She says she still might consider such a run sometime in the future.

For now, Cook can be content that she restored credibility to the secretary of state's office, whose reputation was on the skids when she took over.