Welcome to The Line, a newsletter for Cary and Western Wake from The Assembly Network. The Line connects the dots for local life with timely info, relevant news, interesting people and expert guides.

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🚉 Arriving Now

1. Another Cary town leader departs
2. The next 2026 resolution
3. Glowing in Downtown Cary
4. Guess the coffee shop

–Sarah Day

A Member of Cary’s Senior Management Team Resigns

Dan Ault has resigned from the town of Cary, one of four assistant city managers reporting to the town manager and the town’s chief innovation officer, Chloe Courtney Bohl reported Monday:

“Ault’s departure came less than one month after his former boss, Sean Stegall, resigned following alleged misappropriation of town funds and abuses of power. The State Bureau of Investigation opened a criminal inquiry into Stegall’s spending last week at the request of the Wake County district attorney and Cary police.”

A town spokesperson confirmed that Ault resigned January 8, but did not say if his resignation was related to Stegall’s.

“Ault reported directly to Stegall for about 17 years, first in Elgin, Illinois, and then in Cary. In 2008, Ault worked as an intern for the City of Elgin, where Stegall was city manager. In 2010, Stegall tapped Ault to help with the rollout of Elgin’s 311 citizen information service. In 2016, four months after Stegall accepted the Cary town manager position, he recruited Ault to come work with him again and help launch a similar 311 program in Cary,” the INDY story continues.

A January 7 interim reporting structure showed Ault no longer had direct reports or departments under his purview, a change from a few years ago.

📰 Read more, including details on what Stegall’s book said about Ault. 

2026 Community Resolutions

To kick off 2026, The Line asked a few leaders in Cary, Apex, and Morrisville to share their community-wide resolutions.

We want to convene forward-thinking conversations in this community, so we asked them a simple question: What would you like to see the community embrace to make Western Wake County a better place?

Our third leader to share a resolution is André Anthony, the CEO of NeighborUp, the recently merged nonprofit organization of Dorcas Ministries and Western Wake Crisis Ministry. 

Anthony: Neighbors Help Each Other Through Collective Effort

My 2026 resolution for Western (and Southern) Wake County is that we’d NeighborUp together and continue building communities where all neighbors thrive.

What does that actually look like? It starts with everyday choices—choosing to notice one another, to show up, and to believe that what we do together truly matters.

I’d love to see community members ask, “How can I help?” and then take action—whether that’s volunteering, giving, advocating, mentoring, or simply checking in on a neighbor. It looks like employers creating real pathways to success, faith and civic groups opening their doors wider, nonprofits partnering together to create lasting change, and each of us recognizing that none of us thrives alone.

What kind of future is within reach if we do this well? A hopeful one. It’s a future where help is easier to find and readily available—before a family experiences a crisis. It’s a future where fewer people are forced to choose between food, housing, or healthcare. It’s a future where opportunity isn’t defined by zip code, income or circumstance. It’s a future where neighbors are equipped and empowered with basic essentials and skills so they can continue their journey to success—building a community where every neighbor thrives.

How does life look different if this community-wide resolution is successful? It feels well-connected and more sustainable. Families can function proactively rather than reactively. Parents can focus on celebrating their kids’ accomplishments and future opportunities instead of just surviving the day-to-day. Seniors feel supported and included rather than isolated. Young people can see a clear path forward towards a bright future.

Communities become stronger and more resilient because people know they’re not on their own—and that we will walk alongside one another when challenges come. When we NeighborUp, we’re providing help for today and hope for tomorrow through immediate impact and lasting change.

💬 Share your thoughts: Reply to this newsletter or drop a note to line@theassemblync.com to tell us what you think of this community resolution.

🗓️ Share a resolution for The Line: Attend our January 28 event where we will create an interactive community vision board! RSVP here. 

Previously: Apex Town Councilmember: Prioritize Community Mental Health.

That Downtown Cary Glow

Six of seven light and technology art installations are now brightening cold Downtown Cary nights.

GLOW temporary public art pieces from Academy Street Artwork Projects can be found while strolling between the Cary Regional Library and the First United Methodist Church, or check the map online.

GLOW installations include: 

  • Phantom Spring by Robin Vuchnich: The historic Ivey-Ellington house at the old library site is a canvas for projected, blooming light art. 
  • A Gathering of Moons by Bryant Holsenbeck, glowing orbs adorned with tangled monofilament line from the Duke Marine lab in Beaufort, inspired by the moons of Jupiter. 
  • The Persistence of Almost, from Britt Flood, is glowing tubes affixed to the new parking deck next to First Baptist Church. The art is inspired by sketches and fully solar-powered. 
  • Julia Gartrell’s Cool Evening Stars & Warm Log Cabin are “illuminated quilted windows,” visible on windows at the First United Methodist Church and Market 317 at Downtown Cary Park, facing Academy Street. 
  • Find Your Happy Place by Erik Beerbower, a walk-through lighted sculpture that invites the viewer to reflect on what is good in their life. There’s an accompanying happy music playlist, too. 
  • Coming in mid-February, artist Helen Seebold will create a lighted labyrinth on the Ivey-Ellington lawn. 

📹 See a video of a few of the installations on Instagram @thelinewake. Have you visited yet? Reply with your thoughts. 

In Brief | What I’d Tell You Over Green Tea

🍷 The Triangle Food and Wine Experience, which benefits the Frankie Lemmon School & Developmental Center in Raleigh, includes a few Cary dining events, all on February 5. Heron’s tasting event features two James Beard-nominated chefs, Devin Finigan and Lindsay Autry, with executive chef Steven D. Greene and Bond winery. Lawrence Barbecue is paired with Donelan Family Wines for their event, and Naos’ event will be with Provignage wines. These ticketed events often sell out fast.

⚽ The NC Courage 2026 regular season schedule is here, kicking off 30 home matches for the National Women’s Soccer League team at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary on March 14. Season tickets are available now, single-match tickets for sale at a later date.

🏥 North Carolina Children’s Hospital announced its first major gift, the Triangle Business Journal reports. The $25 million-dollar donation, from a Charlotte-based Coca-Cola bottler company, will support a behavioral health center at the planned campus in Apex.  

Guess the Coffee Shop

I’m out in Western Wake County talking over coffee and reporting for The Line. Can you guess where I am? 

Reply to this email or send your guess to line@theassemblync.com. The prize? Bragging rights, and maybe a shoutout in The Line!

Sarah Day Owen Wiskirchen is the head of newsletters for The Assembly Network and editor of The Line.