Raleigh/Cary #7 Most Educated, CiviPod Interview, GoRail Meeting, July 4th Celebration, and the Cary Tennis Classic

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!

Raleigh/Cary #7 Most Educated MSA

WalletHub recognized the Raleigh/Cary Metropolitan Statistical Area as the #7 most educated in the nation. I dare say Cary would probably be better than that on its own since over 80% of our residents have some kind of college degree. Here is their stated methodology:

To identify the most and least educated cities in America, WalletHub compared the 150 most populated U.S. metropolitan statistical areas, or MSAs, across two key dimensions, including “Educational Attainment” and “Quality of Education & Attainment Gap.”

We evaluated those dimensions using 11 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the highest educational attainment and quality of education. For metrics marked with two asterisks (**), we used the square root of the population to calculate the population size in order to avoid overcompensating for minor differences across cities.

Finally, we determined each metro area’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order our sample.

I dare say Cary would probably be better than that on its own since over 80% of our residents have some kind of college degree which is more than Durham who was ranked #2.

Latest Housing Market Update

The Berkshire Hathaway York Simpson Underwood Realty does a monthly analysis of home prices and sales in Cary. The following is some of their findings as of June 30th:

  • 876 homes were sold in the last 30 days.
  • New to the market was 165 homes.
  • Days on the market averaged 33 days.
  • The average home price was $719,409, which is slightly down in the last 30 days.
  • The average price sold was $765,430, which was up 8.3%.
  • 213 homes were sold in the last 30 days.

CiviPod Interview

Monday I did an interview with a rising high school senior who hosts a podcast focused on civic life, leadership, and community engagement. Our interview lasted about an hour and a half. The questions I answered were:

  • For people hearing your story for the first time, who is Harold Weinbrecht?
  • Before becoming mayor, you spent nearly three decades as a software engineer at SAS. What inspired you to move from technology into public service?
  • Looking back, how has your engineering background influenced the way you approach leadership and decision-making?
  • Throughout your career, what has been one of the biggest challenges you’ve faced, and what did it teach you about leadership?
  • Cary has consistently been ranked as one of the best places to live in America. From your perspective, what has made Cary so successful?
  • Cary has experienced incredible growth over the last two decades. How do you balance welcoming new residents while preserving the identity and character of the town?
  • When you walk through Downtown Cary Park—or another project you’re especially proud of—what goes through your mind knowing you helped shape it?
  • Looking ahead, what do you hope Cary looks like ten or twenty years from now?
  • Technology has changed almost every part of our lives. How do you think it should change local government?
  • Artificial intelligence is becoming one of the biggest technological shifts of our time. Where do you see AI helping cities—and where should governments be cautious?
  • One of CiviPod’s goals is helping more young people understand how their communities work. Why do you think local government matters more than many people realize?
  • Many young people follow national politics but know very little about what’s happening in their own towns. Why do you think that is?
  • If a high school student wanted to make a difference in their community today, where would you encourage them to begin?
  • Have young people influenced the way Cary makes decisions? If so, how?
  • Throughout your career—in technology and in public service—what values have guided the way you lead?
  • Leadership often means making decisions that not everyone agrees with. How do you approach those difficult moments?
  • Do you think we, as young people, are aware enough of what’s happening in our communities, our country, and the world? Do we understand the laws and decisions that affect our daily lives? Why or why not?

You can hear my answers by going here.

GoRail Meeting

On Wednesday, I joined Assistant Town Manager Widmar for a meeting with the North Carolina Director of GoRail, a nonprofit organization that advocates freight rail. We discussed freight rail issues and reviewed grant opportunities that may be available. The Director also asked for my support with future advocacy efforts and will be sending additional information for review.

July 4th at Koka Booth

The Fourth of July celebration at Koka Booth Amphitheatre was scaled back because of the extreme heat. It marked the third consecutive day with temperatures exceeding 100 degrees. As a result, both the Cary Town Band and the North Carolina Symphony were forced to cancel their performances. In their place, attendees enjoyed performances by actor Mike Wiley and singer-songwriter Dawn Landes.

Although attendance was about two-thirds of what is typical for the event, the amphitheater was still filled to capacity. At 8:00 p.m., I welcomed the crowd before introducing Mike Wiley and Dawn Landes. The following are my remarks:

“Good evening, everyone, and welcome to Koka Booth Amphitheatre! I am Mayor Harold Weinbrecht and on behalf of the Town of Cary, it is my pleasure to welcome you, your family, friends, and visitors to our Independence Day celebration and the 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding.

This evening, we come together not as strangers, not as people defined by our differences, but as Americans. It’s no secret that our country has faced challenges and disagreements. We don’t all see every issue the same way, and that’s part of living in a free society. But tonight reminds us that what unites us is greater than what divides us.

We are one nation, bound together by the enduring ideals of liberty, opportunity, and hope. We celebrate the freedoms that generations before us fought to secure. And we recognize an important truth: freedom isn’t free. The liberties we enjoy today have been preserved through the courage, sacrifice, and selfless service of the men and women of our Armed Forces.

This evening, we offer our deepest gratitude to all who have served and to those who continue to serve our country. If you are a veteran or an active-duty member of the United States Armed Forces, would you please stand so we may recognize and thank you for your service?

[Pause for applause.]

Thank you for your commitment and sacrifice that have helped ensure that our freedoms we celebrate tonight remain a reality for all Americans.

America has always been a nation striving to live up to its highest ideals, of liberty, equality, justice, and opportunity for all. That journey continues, and each generation has the privilege and responsibility of helping write the next chapter.

Two hundred and fifty years after our nation’s founding, those ideals remain as important as ever. Tonight, actor Mike Wiley and singer-songwriter Dawn Landes bring that story to life through history, music, and unforgettable performances. Their program invites us to reflect on where we’ve been, celebrate who we are, and imagine what our next 250 years can become.

Thank you for joining us. Happy semi quincentennial Independence Day, and please join me in welcoming Well, I Declare: America at 250!”

Despite the heat it was a great patriotic evening. Happy 250th Birthday America!

Cary Tennis Classic

This week, Cary Tennis Park hosted the Cary Tennis Classic, a professional tournament featuring both men’s and women’s competition. The event is part of the ATP Challenger Tour at the ATP 75 level and the WTA Tour at the WTT 100 level.

Both the ATP and WTA follow an extreme heat policy based on the wet-bulb temperature, which measures the lowest temperature to which air can be cooled through the evaporation of water. Because it reflects how effectively the human body can cool itself through sweating, the wet-bulb reading is a key indicator of heat stress. When temperatures and humidity push the wet-bulb reading above established thresholds, play must be delayed or suspended to protect player’s safety.

As a result, most matches were scheduled for the early morning or evening hours, and even some morning matches were temporarily suspended because of the heat. Despite these challenging conditions, the tournament directors did an outstanding job of adjusting the schedule and ensuring that all matches were completed.

At the time of this posting the championships matches had yet to be played. Here are the finalists:

Men’s Singles: Legout vs Shick

Men’s Doubles: Reynolds/Watt vs Niam/Niklas-Salminen

Women’s Singles: Broadus vs Stefanini

Women’s Doubles: Kuwata/Raina vs Harrison/Hewitt

To find out who won go here.

For more than 11 years, we have proudly hosted the Cary Tennis Classic, welcoming world-class players from around the globe. Beyond showcasing elite competition, the tournament also generates significant economic benefits for our community, supporting local businesses and enhancing Cary’s reputation as a premier destination for international sporting events.

Council Initiated Items

The council has a process that allows members to introduce items for discussion at meetings, often leading to further action. Given the recent increase in these requests, I will begin sharing them here along with my perspective on their pros and cons.

Temporary moratorium on Data Centers

This proposal was submitted by Mayor Pro-Tem Bush, and I provided the second. It was brought up at the May 28th Council meeting. It will come back to council after the staff has gathered information.

Data centers are centralized facilities that house IT equipment for storing, processing, and distributing massive amounts of data. While they are the vital backbone of the modern internet and AI, they also pose notable environmental and community challenges by requiring massive amounts of electricity and millions of gallons of water. This proposal would direct staff to put a moratorium on data center approvals.

PROS:

  • They generate significant long-term property and sales tax revenue for local municipalities, often offsetting the need to raise taxes on residents.
  • They provide the essential computing power required to run the cloud, stream media, and train heavy AI models.
  • Modern facilities offer unparalleled uptime, physical security, and disaster recovery protections for critical business information.
  • Unlike large manufacturing plants or warehouses, operational data centers generate minimal daily traffic and produce very little localized air pollution.

CONS:

  • We may not have authority to permanently prohibit them.
  • They demand immense amounts of electricity and millions of gallons of water for cooling, which can strain local utility grids and drive-up energy costs for surrounding communities.
  • Unless heavily offset by renewable energy sources, heavy reliance on power can prolong the use of fossil fuel plants and contribute to electronic waste.
  • The constant operation of high-powered cooling fans and backup generators can create significant, round-the-clock noise disturbances for nearby residents.
  • While construction creates many temporary jobs, fully operational data centers typically require very few on-site staff, delivering fewer permanent local jobs than other large-scale developments.

Partnering with the school board to pilot school zone safety improvements

This proposal was submitted by Council Member Bansal, and I provided the second. It was brought up at the May 28th Council meeting.

Several schools in Cary, particularly middle schools and high schools, are experiencing transportation safety concerns on and around school property. While the schools are responsible for transportation operations on campus and NCDOT oversees roadway infrastructure decisions, progress on improvements has been slow and resident complaints have continued to increase. This proposal would direct staff to work collaboratively with the schools on programs and strategies to help address these concerns.

PROS:

  • Allows the Town to take a more proactive role, even when we are not the primary decision-maker.
  • Responds to growing community concerns regarding school transportation safety.

CONS:

  • The Town is currently understaffed, so this effort could require shifting staff resources away from other projects.
  • Potential solutions could result in additional costs to taxpayers if Cary contributes funding toward implementation.

E-Bike Safety

This proposal was submitted by Council Members Bansal and Richards and presented at the April 16th meeting. It was part of our June 23rd work session.

The council initially launched a pilot program in June 2022 to allow e-bikes. After a one-year trial period, the program was made permanent, with a posted speed limit of 15 mph on greenways. Recently, however, there have been complaints that e-bikes, scooters, and similar devices are traveling at excessive speeds and creating potentially hazardous conditions.

PROS:

  • We are listening to our citizens’ complaints.
  • Preventing e-bikes and scooters will possibly make greenways safer.

CONS:

  • There is basically no way to enforce an ordinance that has e-bikes or not.
  • Any enforcement effort would require additional officers and officers’ time. We are currently underfunding officers and require overtime to maintain existing levels of service.
  • We are revisiting a decision that was made after a one-year trial and review of data.

Council will vote on a draft ordinance of this later this year.

Smoke Free Ordinance

This proposal was submitted by Mayor Pro-Tem Bush and Council Member Craig and presented at the April 16th meeting. It was part of our June 23rd work session.

PROS:

  • Eliminates toxic secondhand smoke.
  • Current ordinance does not match state law and Raleigh/Wake ordinance.

CONS:

  • Any enforcement effort would require additional officers and officers’ time. We are currently underfunding officers and require overtime to maintain existing levels of service.

Council will vote on options to add to the current ordinance later this year.

Affordable Housing on Old Library Site

This proposal, submitted by Mayor Pro Tem Bush and Council Member Bansal, would place a podium-style parking deck with affordable housing on the former library site. This has yet to be scheduled for a meeting agenda.

PROS:

  • Adds parking across from Downtown Cary Park.
  • Create affordable housing units in the downtown area.

CONS:

  • May underutilize one of the municipality’s most valuable properties. Downtown Cary Park generates approximately $16 million annually in economic impact, and this site could represent an opportunity for a more transformative use.
  • The town has already invested millions in renovating the Ivey-Ellington House, positioning this area as a premier destination.

How Cary Government Works

Cary’s government, like most cities in North Carolina and most mid-sized cities in the U.S., 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.

Mayor’s Mailbox

  • A complaint about garbage not being picked up.
  • A concern about ICE.
  • A thank you for my budget remarks: “you were fair and straightforward”.
  • A thank you for adding public safety positions: “this budget makes significant progress toward Cary’s essential needs”.
  • Interest expressed in serving on the Economic Development Committee.
  • A huge thank you for all the staff running the Cary Tennis Classic which had to work around heat rules to get matches played.

Next Week

Next week’s activities include staff meetings, a presentation to visitors from sister city Le Touquet, France, a check presentation ceremony from Congresswoman Ross, remarks to the Soul Saving Station’s 84th Convocation, and a Ring of Honor proclamation presentation at the NC Courage game.

Well, that is all for this week. My next post will be on Sunday, July 12th, 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.