EDITORIAL : KESSLER STEPS DOWN ACTIVIST FDA COMMISSIONER WASN'T AFRAID OF CONTROVERSY.

WHETHER one agreed or took issue with his controversial stances, everyone should agree that outgoing Food and Drug Administration Commissioner David Kessler certainly left his mark on the agency and on the health of millions of Americans.

Appointed by Republican President Bush and reappointed four years ago by Democratic President Clinton, Kessler was an activist. He fought for the regulation of tobacco, worked to standardize nutrition labeling and took steps to speed the federal drug-approval process, and in the process, caught flak from all sides.

His efforts to regulate the sale of tobacco as a drug were vigorously opposed by the tobacco industry. Conservatives objected to his style, saying he favored too much governmental regulation. Bob Dole made it clear during the presidential campaign that he wanted to oust Kessler.

But Kessler's supporters view him as a courageous consumer advocate. Matthew Myers, an official at the National Center for Tobacco-Free Kids, said he revitalized a moribund agency, and ``by moving the FDA into tobacco, he may be responsible for saving more lives than any other official in the last quarter decade.''

While we have often questioned FDA practices under Kessler, we still recognize his willingness to tackle tough projects and work for consumers. We were mostly critical of the means he used to achieve his goals, rather than the goals themselves.

In searching for a replacement, Clinton would do well to pick someone with a strong professional background (Kessler was both a pediatrician and a lawyer). Likewise, the FDA needs a commissioner who can improve the agency's relations with Republican majorities in Congress and those who felt that Kessler frequently was overzealous and exceeded his authority. Political lightning rods need not apply.