Cary, NC – Two upcoming, high-profile retirements will spur Cary CEO Sean R. Stegall to implement more innovations inside Town government while giving talented staff new ways to contribute to Cary’s continued success.

After more than three decades, Deputy Town Manager Mike Bajorek will retire from the organization this winter.  Bajorek most recently served as Cary’s interim Town Manager for several months in 2015 and 2016 as the Town Council searched for a new Town Manager. Bajorek joined the Town of Cary in 1988 as Assistant Director of Public Works and was promoted to Public Works Director in 1996. He was promoted to Assistant Town Manager in 2009 and became Cary’s first Deputy Town Manager in 2013.

“Mike has given so much to this community over the last 30 years, and I am personally grateful for the way he welcomed me into the organization in 2016,” said Town Manager Sean R. Stegall.  “Cary’s renowned culture of service is inextricably tied to Mike, and that legacy will remain long after he leaves.”

Also retiring this winter will be Chief of Police Tony Godwin. Godwin became Chief in 2015 following a national search that yielded 78 applicants from as far away as Oregon and Nevada.  Godwin’s entire law enforcement career has been spent in Cary, joining the department in 1990 as a patrol officer following a college internship.

“When it comes to chiefs of police, Tony’s among the best I’ve ever worked with.  He has had a profound impact on me and our community.  His genuinely thoughtful and caring nature along with his tremendous capabilities as a communicator have been key in strengthening the bond between our officers and the individuals they serve,” said Stegall.

 Cary’s Next Police Chief

Stegall has decided to keep with Cary’s tradition of offering applicants from within and outside of the organization the opportunity to apply for the upcoming vacancy. 

“In my experience, there is no more important selection for a Manager than Chief of Police,” said Stegall, who has hired four chiefs in his career. “No other department director has more public exposure or the level of internal and external responsibilities and complexities than police chiefs.”

While upholding the national search tradition, Stegall has decided to put his own signature on the process by encouraging officers at every level in the Town’s Police Department to consider applying for the vacancy, even if their dream of becoming Chief – in Cary or elsewhere -- is years away.

“Our search process will be as much about potentially identifying and preparing our next, next chief as it will be selecting Tony’s successor,” said Stegall.  “Officers often become chiefs at the very end of their careers, and North Carolina’s law enforcement retirement system creates a financial disincentive for them to stay for more than a few years. If we have talented, committed officers farther down in the ranks whom we can develop, then we have an obligation to them as well as our citizens to do so.”

Cary’s New Public Safety Director

For the last several years, the chiefs of police and fire reported on a day-to-day basis to Deputy Town Manager Mike Bajorek. With Bajorek’s upcoming retirement, Stegall has decided to create a new position – Public Safety Director – to be a mentor and sounding board for Cary’s police and fire chiefs as well as help coordinate the efforts of the two departments and oversee emergency management.

For this new position, which is part of the Town Manager’s Office, Stegall has tapped longtime Fire Chief Allan Cain, who has nearly 38 years in the fire service. Cain was hired from the City of Dunn as Cary’s Deputy Fire Chief in 1994 and was promoted to Fire Chief in 2003.

In an unusual twist for local governments, Cain has also spent nearly 18 months holding the dual role of Cary’s Interim Planning Director and Fire Chief.  For this reason, Stegall has moved exterior property code enforcement activities, including minimum housing, under the purview of the new Public Safety Director,  Cain.

“While there will always be a list of things local governments must accomplish and services we must provide, there are a number of ways to get there.  My approach is to build organizational structures around the people we have, not visa-versa,” said Stegall.  “It’s only possible and appropriate to create a Public Safety Director in Cary at this point in time because of Allan’s talent, skills, interest, and leadership as well as the respect he enjoys.

As for the increased focus on safety, Stegall said that “as Cary ages, we must give increased attention to keeping people and places safe.  This means rethinking how we use existing resources so that we ensure that private property is maintained at a level that reduces the likelihood of crime.”

Cary’s New Fire Chief

Stegall has promoted Deputy Fire Chief Mike Cooper to succeed Allan Cain as Cary’s Fire Chief.  A 31-year veteran of the fire service, Cooper has a wide range of experiences and education in areas including recruitment, training, operations, administration, budgeting, urbans search and rescue, accreditation, community preparedness, emergency medical services, fire code and inspections, hazardous materials, and technical rescue.  He became Cary’s Deputy Fire Chief in 2017 after being hired as an Assistant Chief in 2005 from the City of Raleigh.

“Mike has impressed me as a deep thinker, respected leader, and caring human being. I appreciate his willingness to be Cary’s next Fire Chief, and I look forward to the ideas and energy he’ll bring to the organization’s leadership team,” said Stegall.

Citizens are invited to meet Chief Cooper and his family at Cary Town Hall immediately prior to the November 15, 2018 Town Council meeting that begins at 6:30 p.m.

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Primary Contacts

Deanna Hawkes, Deputy Public Information Officer, (919) 380-4240

Resources 

Get to Know Cary
Fire Station #9 Relocation
Fire Station #9 Relocation Groundbreaking