Discussing the ‘State of Cary,’ mayor touches on town manager, says little about ICE

It was a mixed crowd that showed up to Mayor Harold Weinbrecht’s “State of Cary” address Thursday evening. The majority of attendees came chanting and holding signs protesting government-leased office space in the town, reportedly tied to the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration.

Others showed up to hear what Weinbrecht had to say about the town’s former manager, Sean Stegall, who was forced to resign late last year after questionable decisions made under his watch surfaced.

Weinbrecht used most of his address to laud the town’s accomplishments, like being named one of the “top suburbs for a quieter life” and one of the cities “where money buys the most happiness.”

That happiness didn’t extend to the situation town leaders now find themselves in. Stegall “marginalized” and ridiculed town employees who didn’t agree with him, Weinbrecht told the audience.

“He took information from council and distorted it to staff,” Weinbrecht said. “He terrified staff and he knew all the vulnerabilities, and exploited them, of the council-manager form of government.”

That’s been Weinbrecht’s line to residents since Stegall was ousted. And on Thursday, he preempted the question of how the town ended up in this situation, with the same response.

The town manager is the “CEO” who, in Cary’s case, “not only ran all the operations, but he controlled all the information that flowed from council to staff and staff to council,” Weinbrecht said.

And, other than one question from an audience member, the subject was put to rest. That’s after months of revelations about Stegall, including thousands of dollars spent on pricey dinners and hotel stays and over $150,000 spent on a book lauding Stegall’s vision for municipal government.

Most people who showed up to the event wanted more information about whether ICE was expanding into Cary.

There were few answers.

ICE in Cary?

Protesters showed up ahead of Winbrecht’s address holding signs and chanting in unison opposing any ICE action in Cary.

“We want the immigrant community to know that we support them in all areas, but especially in making sure that Cary stays a very welcoming and warm and diverse city,” Laura Kasperlik, a representative from Wake County Indivisible, told The N&O on Thursday.

The U.S. General Service Administration, which solicited leases for “administrative office space in support of law enforcement operations,” last year entered into a five-year lease at 11000 Regency Parkway in October 2025, The N&O has reported.

Weinbrecht confirmed that during his address, saying one of the representatives of the building had told him recently.

The location was one of many cited in a Wired magazine article about the Department of Homeland Security’s expansion across the country.

But other than confirmation that a government agency is paying for offices in the affluent suburb, local leaders don’t know much. And Weinbrecht said the town has “no authority” over those issues.

His responses didn’t land with a majority of the speakers.

“It sounds lazy, it sounds disingenuous and it sounds cowardly to continuously say you have no options,” said William Coffin, who showed up to speak out against possible ICE expansion. “I find that very cowardly.”

Coffin said the mayor should be looking into ways for the Cary police to “stand with protesters” rather than “join hands” with ICE when they enter the town.

“You can also continue to speak up,” Coffin added. “One social media post saying ‘I don’t have authority’ isn’t going to cut it for us.”

“I’m sorry you think I’m a coward,” Weinbrecht responded. He said he lives next to an immigrant family who asked him not to “draw attention to ICE and bring them here.”

“If you have protests, that’s wonderful. I encourage that,” Weinbrecht said. “If you have a public statement, you’re asking for an invitation. You’re asking them to come here.”

The future

Weinbrecht said the town is trying to move forward with rebuilding public trust in the wake of the Stegall revelations. He’s instituted some new policies, like getting rid of Stegall’s “one-on-one” meetings with council members and requiring official town meetings be streamed publicly.

And then there’s the three ongoing investigations into Stegall — and the town’s finances. Those are an internal investigation started by the town, a probe by the State Auditor’s Office and a joint investigation led by the Wake County District Attorney’s Office and the State Bureau of Investigation.

“However, based on what I’ve seen and what I’ve heard, I don’t anticipate we’ll see anything that’s illegal,” Weinbrecht said.

Town leaders will have to wait to see if that ends up ringing true.

This story was originally published March 5, 2026 at 9:55 PM.

Nathan Collins

The News & Observer

Nathan Collins is an investigative reporter at The News & Observer. He started his career in public radio where he earned statewide recognition for his accountability reporting in Dallas, Texas. Collins is a Pulitzer Prize finalist and a former professional musician.