Mayor Harold Weinbrecht struck a careful balance at his State of Cary address Wednesday, presenting a confident vision for the town’s growth while candidly addressing its ongoing governance challenges. Speaking to a Chamber audience, he promised transparency in the investigation of the former town manager, even as he highlighted plans for housing, sports facilities, and a rapidly evolving downtown.
The speech came at the Cary Chamber’s State of Cary breakfast at Prestonwood Country Club. Organizers said the event started at 7:30 a.m. and drew a packed, business-heavy audience that included local officials and developers, as the mayor moved through both setbacks and successes. According to ABC11, the address blended reassurances about Cary’s trajectory with promises to come clean about what went wrong.
Mayor Confronts Audit Findings And Promises Transparency
Weinbrecht spent a portion of his remarks outlining how the town is responding to problems that surfaced late last year, saying Cary has launched multiple reviews and will work with outside investigators. A January news release from the town says Cary is coordinating with the NC State Auditor, the Wake County District Attorney’s office and an independent law firm to examine spending, governance practices and workplace issues. According to the Town of Cary, officials have cast these reviews as a way to rebuild public trust.
State Auditor Flags Possible Missteps; DA Asks SBI To Review
Local reporting says a preliminary forensic review by the State Auditor’s Investigative Division flagged procurement-card charges and other expenses that were “potentially indicative” of fraud, and that the Wake County district attorney has asked the State Bureau of Investigation to dig in. That coverage ties the audit work to a series of high-cost purchases, an unusual land deal and additional spending linked to former Town Manager Sean Stegall. As reported by The News & Observer, those financial questions have now been pushed into law enforcement channels.
Council Funds Outside Review And Employee Survey
At a January meeting, the Town Council signed off on midyear funding to hire an outside law firm and run an employee survey, approving roughly $250,000 in combined spending for an external review and workplace assessments. Local coverage says the review is expected to look at procurement-card use, reimbursements and how financial information was presented to council members. For more on the vote and the scope of the review, see reporting from Indy Week.
Housing And Downtown Projects On The Agenda
Even with the governance questions hanging over town hall, Weinbrecht used the address to walk through Cary’s development priorities, from housing to downtown construction. He highlighted work to expand accessory dwelling unit options, track mixed-income housing projects and keep several downtown efforts moving. The town’s State of Cary slide deck notes expanded ADU opportunities under recent policy shifts and calls out Marigold Cary, a planned 126-unit mixed-income development at 921 SE Maynard, alongside updates on downtown construction and low unemployment figures. Those details appear in the official presentation from the Town of Cary.
Local Pushback And Staff Moves
The speech landed amid rising public pressure for answers. Residents have pressed council members at recent meetings, and town leaders have begun to pull back from outside firms tied to the controversy. WRAL reports that Weinbrecht ended a consulting contract with engineering firm WithersRavenel and that several specific expenses, including hotel bills and a land deal, have fueled the scrutiny. See WRAL for a rundown of the community response and related personnel steps…