State Labor Director Darwin Ching said today that he will resign June 15 to run for city prosecutor.

Ching was a deputy prosecutor from 1981 to 1988.

Already in the Honolulu prosecutor's race is Franklin "Don" Pacarro Jr., a senior deputy prosecuting attorney and trials division chief.

There technically is not an open position. City Prosecutor Peter Carlisle's current term runs out in 2012. But Carlisle announced last July he is running for mayor whenever Mayor Mufi Hannemann resigns, either this year or in 2012.

The mayor is expected to formally announce he will run for governor in the next few days.

Deputy Director Pearl Imada Iboshi will be named the new labor director, Gov. Linda Lingle's office said.