Cary cooperating with State Auditor’s ‘exploration’ of concerns, mayor says
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- Cary is cooperating with the State Auditor’s “exploration” of concerns, mayor says
- Town manager Sean Stegall resigned amid scrutiny over questionable spending and conduct.
- Town hired Womble Bond Dickinson for an employment probe and process changes.
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Cary under scrutiny
The town of Cary has been in the spotlight since late November, when Town Manager Sean Stegall was put on administrative leave without any explanation from the town. Stegall resigned Dec. 13, 2025, amid reports of questionable spending. Here is ongoing coverage from The News & Observer.
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Staff from the State Auditor’s Office visited Cary Town Hall five days after then-Town Manager Sean Stegall was put on paid, administrative leave, the mayor said Tuesday.
The town welcomes the “exploration,” which the town was first contacted about Nov. 25 when staff members came to Cary, according to Mayor Harold Weinbrecht.
Stegall resigned last weekend, the mayor announced at an emergency meeting Monday night, roughly three weeks after he was placed on leave.
In a statement released Tuesday afternoon, Weinbrecht said the town is cooperating with the auditor’s office on its review of Wake County’s second-largest municipality.
“We are fully supporting their exploration of these concerns, which mirror our own,” he said in a statement. “These concerns were discussed at the December 15 Emergency Council Meeting, and are foundational to why the Council put Sean on administrative leave on November 20.”
Although the town had not previously disclosed the auditor’s involvement, a spokesperson for State Auditor Dave Boliek confirmed to The News & Observer on Monday the office is conducting a “preliminary review.” The review was first reported by WRAL.
Town hires law firm to investigate
Meanwhile, Cary has hired Womble Bond Dickinson Law Firm to investigate the situation.
“While we will know a lot more about things that have occurred over the last few years, there may be more to learn, and so we have hired a law firm specializing in employment investigations to join us into looking deeply into Sean’s activities and the things he’s directed staff to do to ensure that we are fully aware of any problems and that we put process changes in place so that something like this will never happen again,” Weinbrecht said during Monday’s emergency meeting to swear-in Interim Town Manager Russ Overton.
The N&O has requested a copy of the law firm’s contract to see how much the town is paying the firm.
This story was originally published December 16, 2025 at 5:43 PM.
