U.S. News
A North Carolina Town Manager Paid $65,000 for a Book About Himself With Taxpayer Money
By Mike Harper · July 17, 2026
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.
Cary spent $121,314 on video production for a 2024 staff retreat in Wilmington, including a documentary chronicling how town council members learned and performed ABBA’s “Dancing Queen” as a team-building exercise. The documentary was titled “Dancing Queens: A Case Study.” Total payments to the production company that helped make it: $340,664.
Stegall expensed a four-night penthouse hotel stay costing $3,419. The town paid $4,164 for a single dinner for council members and staff at a Raleigh steakhouse. A separate dinner receipt included two 20-ounce ribeye steaks at $120 each and a $48 glass of wine. Ten pairs of Ray-Ban sunglasses — stamped with the word CARY — were purchased for town council members at a cost of $1,600. Annual car allowances of $9,626 were provided to each councilmember. A $733 executive van transported employees 12 miles to a holiday dinner.
Over $100,000 in purchases lacked receipts or itemized documentation.
The audit also found that Stegall spent more than $1 million on land near a Cary elementary school without the full town council’s approval and against his own staff’s recommendation. A councilwoman’s graduate school tuition — $37,301 — was paid with town funds before being reimbursed after the full council learned about it.
During an emergency town council meeting Thursday night, council members said they had not known the costs of many of these expenditures while they were being incurred. “We thought staff on their own time created this dance for our entertainment,” Mayor Harold Weinbrecht said of the ABBA video.
Residents were less charitable. “I would love the refund,” said Tracy Filomena, a 31-year Cary resident.
The council’s response to years of unchecked spending: last month, it raised property taxes 8%, saying the town needed money to hire additional police and fire staff — and blaming Stegall for not disclosing those staffing needs. Stegall has not responded to media requests for comment.
The state auditor’s report found the problems extended beyond Stegall to a broader failure of oversight by elected leaders. A separate independent review, also released Thursday and paid for by the town, reached the same conclusion. “The work of the OSA and others has helped us identify gaps in oversight, process, and culture.” the Cary Town Council’s response included in the audit said.
No criminal charges have been filed. The state audit has been referred to appropriate authorities for review.