Purpose of this Blog
It is my hope that this blog will provide insight not only into who I am meeting with on behalf of the Town, but also the topics we discuss. I believe strongly in open and transparent government. This blog is one of several initiatives I implemented when I became mayor in 2007 to make the governmental process more accessible to our citizens.
This blog is written with sincerity, honesty, and a commitment to accuracy so our constituents can better understand the work we do. After all, we work for them!
How Cary Government Works
Cary’s government, like most cities in North Carolina, uses a council–manager form of government. This system works a lot like a company, but for local government. Residents elect a council and a mayor, who set policy by passing laws, approving the budget, and guiding the town’s overall priorities. The council then hires a professional manager to run the town’s day-to-day operations.
Think of it like a company: the council acts like a board of directors, making policy and representing the public, while the city manager acts like a CEO, overseeing all departments, such as finance, public works, police, and fire, and managing town staff. The mayor leads council meetings, represents the town publicly, and has limited executive authority. While the council and mayor make policy decisions and receive regular reports, they usually see only high-level summaries rather than the detailed inner workings of each department.
In short, just as a board hires a CEO to run a company, Cary’s council hires a manager to run the town, ensuring professional management while elected officials focus on big-picture decisions and community priorities.
You can find additional information about how Cary’s government works on the town’s website here.
#1 Disc Golf Course is Diavolo of Cary
Diavolo at New Hope, a 22-hole disc golf course in Cary, has been recognized by UDisc as North Carolina’s most popular disc golf course for 2025. Since opening in October 2020, the course has climbed as high as No. 7 on UDisc’s World’s Best Disc Golf Courses list and currently holds the No. 17 ranking worldwide. The honor highlights a successful partnership between the Town of Cary and the Capital Area Disc League, whose shared vision was to create a world-class destination welcoming disc golfer of every skill level.
Cary Tennis Classic Board
The Cary Tennis Classic Board met on Monday night. We are beginning to focus our monthly meetings more on the details of the tournament, especially sponsorship, which is what we spent most of our time talking about. We also talked about the future of the Cary Tennis Park and how its clubhouse expansion is essential if we are to keep this and other tournaments.
State of Cary – Realtors
Tuesday morning, I gave the State of Cary address to about 30 realtors. Council member Bansal was also in attendance and was part of the Q&A afterwards. My talk lasted about 50 minutes, and Q&A lasted about 45 minutes. We then spent another 20 minutes or so taking pictures. Most of their questions focused on roads, schools, and development.
State of Cary – Cary Chamber
On Wednesday morning, I delivered the State of Cary address to a packed ballroom at Prestonwood during the Cary Chamber’s “Breakfast with the Mayor.” I estimate that more than 300 people attended. My remarks ran about 45 minutes, and the audience was extremely supportive, greeting me with standing ovations at both the beginning and the conclusion of the program.
Several of the questions were really expressions of appreciation, thanking me for leading Cary through the town manager transition during this challenging period. Although WRAL and ABC11 were present, their coverage did not reflect that response and instead focused primarily on my comments regarding the manager transition.
Green Hope Elementary
Wednesday afternoon, I had the pleasure of speaking with four fifth-grade classes at Green Hope Elementary. I discussed how local government works, the scope of our authority, and how we collaborate with state and federal governments. I then spent about 30 minutes answering their questions.
They asked several thoughtful and engaging questions, including ones about carbon emissions, the most challenging part of being mayor, and what advice I would give my younger self. It was a lot of fun, and I hope they’ll invite me back again.
United Way of NC 211 Day
On Wednesday afternoon, I visited the United Way Call Center in Cary to help celebrate NC 211 Day. Each year, the United Way of North Carolina recognizes this day to honor the dedicated 211 professionals who serve as a vital lifeline for North Carolinians seeking essential health and human services.
Last year, NC 211 answered more than 200,000 calls and connected individuals and families across all 100 counties with over 336,000 resources. In Cary alone, there were 1,084 calls identifying 1,661 needs, unfortunately, 169 of those needs went unmet. Currently, 52 verified agencies are available to provide assistance in our area.
It was an informative and meaningful visit, and I’m grateful to United Way and the NC 211 team for the critical work they do every day to support those who need it most.
Lunar New Year
On Thursday night, I joined the full council, dozens of elected officials, and several hundred community members at Prestonwood to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year. The evening featured cultural performances, a series of speeches, and concluded with a group photo of the elected officials. It was a wonderful opportunity to connect and mingle, especially with local business leaders, but the strong presence of public officials gave the event a distinctly political tone.
Town Manager’s Weekly Report
Russ’s Message
Council,
I enjoyed seeing you all at the Mayor’s State of Cary Address on Wednesday. I’m looking forward to being with you at the Annual Council/Staff Retreat next week. We will send you more details by next Tuesday. Since we’ll all be together next Friday, there will be no weekly report. I hope you all have a great Valentine’s weekend.
Russ Overton
Interim Town Manager
311 Snapshot
311 processed 2,327 new cases this week.
Volume by Contact Method
- Phone: 1,471
- Email: 329
- Web: 244
- Internal: 167
- Walk-In: 56
- Text: 49
- Social Media: 11
57.07% of cases fell into these top 5 categories:
- Utility Billing & Services: 535
- Inspection Scheduling & Status: 311
- Permitting Inquiries & Payments: 198
- Water Meter Service & Requests: 187
- Garbage Inquiries & Pickup: 97
FY 2026 Q2 Report
The Quarterly Report for the second quarter (October–December 2025) of Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 is available online and printed copies will be provided to Council next week. The report includes a new section offering additional detail on projected revenues, expenditures, and fund balance. Second-quarter highlights include strong midyear financials with projected fund balance growth; Downtown Cary Park generating $5 million in direct economic impact; record attendance at Harvest Fest and the NCAA Men’s College Cup; the launch of two new GoCary routes and completion of major sidewalk connections; and adoption of data governance and artificial intelligence (AI) policies.
Southern Wake County Business Summit
On Monday, Interim Town Manager Russ Overton, Assistant Town Managers Scot Berry and Shelley Curran, and Utilities Director Jamie Revels represented Cary at the Southern Wake County Business Summit. The summit was jointly hosted by NC Commerce Secretary Lilley and NC Department of Environmental Quality Secretary Wilson.
The meeting focused on regional wastewater capacity and collaborative solutions to support business and residential growth in southern Wake County, including the expanding life sciences sector in Holly Springs. Representatives from Apex, Holly Springs, Wake County, and the business community participated. While much of the discussion centered on Holly Springs’ wastewater treatment, staff also provided an update on the joint Cary, Apex, and Holly Springs wastewater capacity study now underway. Council should expect to review the study results later this year. Participants also discussed technical and regulatory permitting considerations and capacity management strategies to support continued industry expansion.
McCrimmon Parkway Pedestrian Improvements
Contractors working on behalf of Cary located and marked existing utility infrastructure this week near Panther Creek High School. This Subsurface Utility Engineering (SUE) work is part of the McCrimmon Parkway Pedestrian Improvements project, which will construct two new pedestrian crossings and a new traffic signal to improve mobility near the school. The information collected will supplement the surveying work completed earlier this year by Cary’s in-house survey team and, together, will form the basis for detailed project design. The recent survey work and this SUE effort are keeping the project on schedule for completion ahead of the 2027-2028 school year.
Urban Agriculture Programming Update
While winter weather lingers, urban agriculture programs are preparing residents for spring. Garden orientations at Carpenter and McCrimmon Community Gardens welcomed 120 households, providing plots, resource packets, and access to shared tools.
New in 2026, Environmental Outreach will partner with Access Cary to pilot Plant, Grow, Connect, creating hands-on gardening opportunities for individuals with disabilities at Carpenter Community Garden. Registration is also open for a full schedule of gardening classes, including sessions where participants can take home bagged compost for residential projects.
American Legion Celebrates Public Servants
American Legion Post 67 recognized two public safety employees at its annual first responder awards dinner February 10. Police Captain Jeremy “JB” Burgin, retiring in May after more than 28 years of service, was honored for a career that included serving as the department’s first K-9 officer, district commander, and mentor to generations of officers. Fire Captain Kevin Stewart, who retired in January after 26 years, was recognized for leading major projects and developing both new and veteran firefighters throughout his career.
Gold Medal Games: Cary Goes for Gold
More than 400 people bundled up Saturday for Gold Medal Games at Downtown Cary Park (DCP), cheering on Team USA while stepping into the action themselves. Guests watched live Olympic coverage on big screens and joined interactive games and challenges across the park, testing their skills with inflatable curling and a slap shot booth, trying VR skiing, and competing in the DCP Biathlon. Families also crafted bobsleds to race down a miniature ice track, posed at an ice sculpture photo op, and designed their own Olympic-style medals.
Important Dates
Economic Development Committee
Wednesday, February 18
6:00 p.m.
Greenway Committee
Thursday, February 19
6:00 p.m.
Annual Council-Staff Retreat
Friday, February 20
8:30 a.m.
Annual Council-Staff Retreat
Saturday, February 21
8:30 a.m.
Q&A on Manager’s Resignation and Other Items
The situation left by the former town manager has been aptly described by one of our new council members as an oil spill, and that comparison is quite fitting. Like any spill, new issues may arise as the investigation and cleanup progress. While the former town manager’s actions were clearly unethical, I am not aware of any illegal conduct at this time. However, three important efforts are ongoing: a review and report by the North Carolina State Auditor, a criminal investigation led by the NC State Bureau of Investigation at the request of the Wake County District Attorney, and an internal investigation by Womble Bond Dickinson on behalf of the Council. From the information available to me, the impact of the former town manager’s actions was limited due to the town’s consistently strong financial position.
The following questions were addressed on my January 4th, January 11th, and January 18th blog:
- WithersRavenel Contract
- Was the $1.3 million in fraud returned to Cary? Yes …
- Why didn’t you know about the town manager’s behavior?
- When did you learn about the land purchase to Cary Elementary?
- Do you have conflicts of interest?
- Why did you give push back to a council member that wanted to move forward with changes now?
- How could you not know all the things the former manager was doing?
- Did I know the book “Top of the Arc” cost the town $150,000?
- Why did you pay the town manager’s severance?
- What changes have you made and will you make?
The questions that are new or updated are below.
Potential ICE Facility in Regency
I received questions about a potential ICE facility in Regency. Here is how staff responded:
“…Many of you have seen a recent article regarding a potential Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) location online and have inquired about what if anything we know about this property. Recent tenants of the existing office building include software and technology businesses as well as commercial real estate office. Cary has not received any requests or permit applications for government offices or other potential tenants that indicate ICE is planning to move into this space. The property is located within the C-6 Tract of the Regency Park Planned District (PDD). Permitted uses include office, institutional, commercial, hotel and club. …”
Mayor’s Mailbox
- A complaint about Apex apartment development hurting Cary residents.
- A question about the staff merit increase.
- Complaints about the “The Voice of Hind Rajab” playing at the Cary Theater.
- Compliments on my State of Cary presentations.
- A complaint about political sign enforcement.
- A complaint about dog poop at an apartment complex.
- A complaint that we are doing nothing for transparency.
Next Week
Next week’s activities include staff meetings, welcome remarks for the North Carolina Association of Zoning Officials, a Wake County Mayors Association meeting, a CAMPO (Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization) Executive Board meeting, an Economic Development Committee meeting, a meeting with a graduate student, and the annual council-staff working retreat.
Well, that is all for this week. My next post will be on Sunday, February 22nd, 2026. Although I have Facebook and Twitter accounts, those are not the best means of communication with me. Please send all Town of Cary questions or comments to Harold.Weinbrecht@carync.gov and email personal comments to augustanat@mindspring.com.
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