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Harry Payne's name isn't on the ballot, but it might as well be.

The former two-term labor commissioner is at the center of the primary runoff between Mary Fant Donnan and John C. Brooks next Tuesday.

Donnan served as policy analyst and research director at the N.C. Department of Labor under Payne, and he endorsed her earlier this year. Brooks was defeated by Payne in the 1992 Democratic primary in an historic loss for an incumbent Council of State member.

Not surprisingly the two candidates have different views on Payne.

Donnan called him a mentor and said she "can't think of a more compassionate, wonderful person to work with." Brooks said Payne unfairly maligned his leadership in their race, which hinged on the death of 25 workers at a Hamlet chicken plant fire in 1990.

He said Payne's criticisms were "meaningless generalizations" that took advantage of the publicity given to the fire.

For his part, Payne said Donnan is "an exceptional listener" who would find new solutions to problems in the state's workplaces. He refrained from criticizing Brooks, saying only that the former labor commissioner was very gracious after losing the election.

"Oftentimes, when people leave office they don't make it that easy for the one coming in," he said. "He made it exceptionally easy."

Full Disclosure: Payne is married to N&O columnist Ruth Sheehan, who once watched Dome's black Lab on short notice.