Book lauding Cary’s ex-town manager cost the town over $150K. Here are 5 takeaways.
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Cary under scrutiny
The town of Cary has been in the spotlight since late November, when Town Manager Sean Stegall was put on administrative leave without any explanation from the town. Stegall resigned Dec. 13, 2025, amid reports of questionable spending. Here is ongoing coverage from The News & Observer.
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The town of Cary spent at least $151,000 to produce and promote a book that celebrates “change agent” Sean Stegall, who resigned as town manager under pressure due to concerns about his spending and management.
FULL STORY: Book lauding Cary’s ex-town manager as ‘change-agent’ cost the town over $150K
Here are the highlights:
- It’s unusual for local governments to pay for their managers’ books about governing.
- The News & Observer revealed the town’s cost for “Top of the Arc: Cocreating a More Innovative, Adaptive, and Effective Local Government” after obtaining town records.
- The publishing deal required the town to pay for the thousands of copies before the book went to press.
- Payments included $72,500 for a ghostwriter and $36,943 for 2,800 print copies.
- Just 143 books were sold for $21.99 each between August and December 2025, according to Cary records.
The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by a News & Observer journalist.
This story was originally published January 15, 2026 at 5:05 PM with the headline "Book lauding Cary’s ex-town manager cost the town over $150K. Here are 5 takeaways.."
