Photo: N.C. Department of Labor.
After Commissioner of Labor Josh Dobson’s abrupt resignation, the day after the General Election, Gov. Roy Cooper has appointed Kevin O’Barr to replace Dobson to lead the N.C. Department of Labor. Cooper made the appointment Friday afternoon.
O’Barr will serve until commissioner-elect Luke Farley takes office in January. Farley, a Republican, defeated Democrat Braxton Winston in the Nov. 5 in a spirited race to replace Dobson, who did not seek reelection after one term in office.
“Kevin 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 statement. “I am thankful for Commissioner Dobson’s years of public service to our state and I look forward to working with Commissioner O’Barr as he assumes this role on the Council of State.”
O’Barr is currently the bureau chief of consultative services at the state Labor Department. He has worked at the department in various positions for 24 years. Before that, O’Barr worked in private industry in the fields of toxicology, environmental chemistry, hazardous waste and other environmental projects.
O’Barr is a graduate of Rollins College with a degree in environmental chemistry and from the University of Washington’s School of Public Health and Community Medicine with a master’s degree in industrial hygiene. He also holds a graduate certificate in training and development from the Department of Adult and Community College Education at NC State University.
Dobson was elected commissioner of labor in 2020 following the retirement of long-serving commissioner Cherie Berry, a Republican who served in the office for 20 years and was known as the “elevator lady” because her picture was plastered on certificates hanging in every elevator in the state.
Dobson released this resignation statement last week:
Farley, a Raleigh attorney whose law practice focuses on construction law, defeated Winston with 52.85% of the vote to Winston’s 47.15%, according to the State Board of Elections final but unofficial results. Winston is a former Charlotte city council member who works as a union stagehand and grip in the Queen City.
The labor commissioner is a constitutional officer elected statewide. The commissioner serves a four-year term that runs concurrently with governor and other members of the Council of State. The commissioner is head of the Department of Labor and is charged by statute to promote the “health, safety and general well-being” of the state’s more than four million workers. The laws and program administered by the department affects every worker in the state.