Cary spent more than $330,000 on promotional videos under scrutiny
Cary spent more than $330,000 on 12 polished videos, including “Dancing Queens,” and the money was spent at Sean Stegall’s direction.
Why did Cary spend more than $330,000 on 12 documentary-style videos, and who approved the bills? New reporting says the town paid for the polished productions between 2021 and 2025 at the direction of former Town Manager Sean Stegall, including one titled “Dancing Queens.”
The spending now sits at the center of a broader taxpayer-trust fight in Cary, where residents have already watched questions about public money widen from individual expenses into a deeper examination of how town leadership operated. Stegall was placed on leave in mid-December 2025 amid questions about excessive spending, a lack of transparency and an unhealthy work environment. He resigned over the weekend before the Cary Town Council’s Dec. 15, 2025 emergency meeting.
His exit did not close the matter. WRAL reported that Stegall’s severance package was $194,832, equal to six months of salary under a 2016 contract clause. By January 2026, the Wake County district attorney, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation and the North Carolina State Auditor’s Office were all involved in examining Cary’s financial mismanagement, and State Auditor Dave Boliek said preliminary findings suggested potential criminal activity.
The video spending adds another layer to the same scrutiny. Rather than a single questionable purchase, the work spanned years and produced a dozen videos about town projects and culture, raising the basic question residents have asked at council meetings: who signed off, what public purpose the videos served, and why the costs were not more visible to taxpayers before the spending surfaced.
Cary later approved $250,000 for a law firm to investigate Stegall’s spending and review staff engagement. A separate audit found the town remained in a strong financial position, but it flagged internal-control weaknesses tied to Stegall’s spending practices and lack of transparency.
The fallout has also reached town hall politics. Residents pressed leaders publicly for accountability after Stegall’s resignation, and some called on Mayor Harold Weinbrecht to step down, arguing the breakdown in oversight went beyond one manager. Interim Town Manager Russ Overton has since pledged transparency as Cary tries to repair confidence in how public dollars were spent.
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