The ghostwriter was paid $65,000 to write a book about Sean Stegall’s management philosophy. The book was paid for by the taxpayers of Cary, North Carolina. Stegall was Cary’s town manager.
A 2,600-page audit released Thursday by the North Carolina Office of the State Auditor details what investigators called a culture of excessive spending and weak oversight under Stegall, who resigned in December 2025 after nine years running one of the fastest-growing cities in the state. The audit covers $24.2 million in purchasing card transactions made by town employees between January 2024 and December 2025 — a two-year stretch during which Cary issued credit cards to 62% of its workforce, compared to an average of 16% at comparable North Carolina municipalities.
The specifics are extraordinary…