North Carolina governor picks labor chief to serve until next commissioner is sworn in

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A longtime North Carolina Labor Department administrator has been elevated to lead the state agency for the next two months as Gov. Roy Cooper named him on Friday to succeed Commissioner Josh Dobson, who resigned this week.

Kevin O’Barr, a 24-year department employee, will serve until Republican Luke Farley, who defeated Democrat Braxton Winston in Tuesday’s election, takes office in early January.

Dobson, a Republican who decided not to seek a second four-year term, announced his resignation on Wednesday.

The North Carolina Constitution gives Cooper, a Democrat, the authority to fill the vacancy with a commissioner to serve out the final weeks of Dobson’s term.

A commissioner is otherwise elected statewide to lead an executive branch department that’s separate from a governor’s administration. The Department of Labor is in charge of administering the state’s labor and workplace training laws and regulations, including wage and quarry rules.

O’Barr, most recently the agency’s current bureau chief of consultative services, previously worked in several department areas, including occupational safety and health compliance.

O’Barr’s “background, experience and deep knowledge of the Department of Labor will help ensure a smooth transition for Commissioner-Elect Farley while continuing the critical functions of the department through the end of the year,” Cooper said in a news release.