Former Raleigh Mayor to seek Labor post

Former Raleigh mayor Charles Meeker is planning a 2016 run for state commissioner of labor.

Meeker, 61, served as mayor of Raleigh from 2001 to 2011 after serving several terms on the City Council in the 1980s and 1990s. He announced in 2011 he wouldn't seek a sixth term as mayor.

On June 26, he filed his statement of organization for a candidate committee at the state elections board.

Reached by phone on Wednesday, Meeker said he's planning a formal campaign announcement in September. He said his record of public service would make him a good fit for the position.

"The Department of Labor really needs to emphasize worker safety," he said, alluding to several fatal worksite accidents in recent months.

Meeker said he would also work to combat the misclassification of workers as contractors and would do more to help workers get unpaid wages from uncooperative employers.

"There’s no follow-up. There ought to be follow-up," he said.

No other Democrats have yet filed for the office. Commissioner Cherie Berry, the Republican incumbent, has served four terms in the post and is widely expected to seek a fifth.