Cary mayor says town leaders blindsided by decisions made without council input
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Public records revealed decisions made without mayor or full council input.
- Town manager on paid leave; council held closed session and took no action.
- Council reviewed multiple governance policies and expanded livestream access.
The mayor of Cary, whose town manager has been on paid leave almost three weeks, said Tuesday night he and other Town Council members were left out of decisions revealed by a recent public-records request to the town.
Mayor Harold Weinbrecht provided no details during a Town Council work session, including who made the request.
He also would not say how the matter was connected, if at all, to Town Manager Sean Stegall’s administrative leave.
“A public [records] request submitted several weeks ago produced receipts, emails and other documents that revealed certain key information had not been shared with me or with the full council, and that decisions were made without council approval,” Weinbrecht said.
“And while I would like to provide more details about the manager's leave, state law currently prevents me from doing so,” he added. “However, as soon as we are legally permitted to share additional information, we will.”
Stegall was placed on paid, administrative leave after a Nov. 20 Town Council meeting.
On Tuesday, the council met for over two hours in closed session to discuss the “qualifications and competence” of an unnamed town employee or employees.
The council took no action when members came out of closed session.
Town paid for council member’s tuition
Last week, The News & Observer reported Cary paid $37,397 to help cover tuition costs for Mayor Pro Tem Lori Bush to pursue her master’s degree through Northwestern University’s Public Policy program.
Bush said she paid the money back after a public records request raised concerns, including that not all council members were aware the town had paid for the degree. She also said she did not think the tuition matter was why Stegall was put on leave.
The News & Observer tried to interview Weinbrecht before Tuesday’s meeting but was interrupted by Susan Moran, chief strategy officer for the town.
“I don’t want us to do interviews before he sits down to do his work,” she said. “We have to catch up later. OK, because we tried to do that last time. It did not work.”
Weinbrecht has not responded to multiple calls and emails from The News & Observer. An N&O reporter was able to briefly speak to him before a meeting last week at which new council members were sworn in.
Council reviews policies, closes doors
During open session Tuesday, the Town Council reviewed five policies: Rules of procedure for the Cary Town Council; Boards and Commissions General Rules of Order; Ethics Policy for Town Council; Conflicts of Interest and Gift Policy for Federal Procurement and Public Records.
After about 30 minutes, the council went into closed session, citing several reasons allowed by state law:
- Consult with attorneys employed by and/or retained by the town in order to preserve the attorney-client privilege between the attorneys and the town.
- Prevent the disclosure of information that is made privileged or confidential pursuant to the laws of this state, including G.S. 143-318.10(E), or not considered a public record within the meaning of chapter 132 of the general statutes.
- Consider the qualifications, competence, performance, character, fitness, conditions of appointment or conditions of initial employment of one or more individual public officers or employees.
‘Transparency and accountability’
Municipal boards like the Town Council have direct authority over three positions: the town manager, the town clerk and town attorney.
But while hiring and firing must be done in open session, the law is less clear on disciplinary action, according to Kristina Wilson, an assistant professor of public law and government at the UNC School of Government.
“On one hand, the statute does not specifically authorize imposing disciplinary procedures in closed session,” she wrote in a blog post about closed sessions. “On the other hand, the statute does not state that disciplinary measures must be taken in open session, like it does for hiring, firing and removal.”
“Considering the competence, performance, character, and fitness of an employee or public officer is directly linked to disciplinary procedures, so arguably, a closed session vote to impose particular disciplinary procedures on an employee or public officer is enforceable — assuming, of course, that the public body has disciplinary authority over the public officer or employee under law,” she wrote.
Tuesday’s work session was live streamed, a first for the town, which normally broadcasts only its regular business meetings, the mayor said.
“Transparency and accountability are extremely important to me and my colleagues, which is why making all of our meetings publicly available is essential,” Weinbrecht said. “This step is especially critical in the light of recent events.”
This story was originally published December 9, 2025 at 10:26 PM.
