Town of Cary
Home MenuGet the Facts: Town Manager Transition
On November 20, 2025, the Cary Town Council voted unanimously to immediately place former Town Manager Sean Stegall on paid administrative leave. There were three issues that led to this decision:
- Over-the-top spending and inadequate financial reporting;
- A lack of transparency with the full Council, staff, and citizens; and
- An unhealthy work environment created by Sean with many of the staff he worked most closely with.
On December 13, 2025, Sean resigned. In an emergency Town Council meeting on December 15, Deputy Town Manager Russ Overton was named Interim Town Manager. Read the full news release.
On December 16, 2025, the N.C. Office of the State Auditor made a second visit to Town Hall to discuss their concerns surrounding the departure of Sean. Mayor Weinbrecht released a statement regarding this visit.
On January 12, 2026, Mayor Weinbrecht released a statement responding to the State Auditor sharing concerns with the Wake County District Attorney regarding potential legal violations by former Town Manager Sean Stegall. On January 13, 2026, the District Attorney announced she had asked the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation to open an investigation, and the Mayor responded in a statement.
In a regular Town Council meeting on January 22, Council approved the use of funding budgeted within the General Fund for midyear appropriations to support an outside law firm’s review and an employment engagement effort, to include in-person focus groups; survey design, distribution, analysis, and reporting; and supporting communications. These efforts are intended to help Council and the Interim Town Manager move forward and resolve issues with staff input.
In addition, the Town is fulfilling requests and responsive records available through this portal, and updates will continue to be made to this page.
Our intent is to provide a clear, factual source so Cary residents can follow developments directly as circumstances evolve.
This page was last updated on 2/4/2026.
