Ward 9 city councillor Kieran McKenzie is 'surprised' the city hired the wife of mayor Drew Dilkens.
"Surprised, let's just start there and noting the reaction that we've seen in the community my mind immediately went back to the strong mayor power form work that's been imposed on municipalities across the province including in the City of Windsor, " says McKenzie
Speaking on AM800's Mornings with Mike and Meg, McKenzie says he recognizes the mayor had no direct involvement with the hiring but says residents are concerned.
He says residents are wondering if it was appropriate to hire this person.
"I'm not suggesting there was any impropriety, I have no evidence of that," he says. "What I'm saying is what I'm seeing across the community is that there is a tremendous amount of concern that I'm seeing."
McKenzie feels the frame work of strong mayor powers disrupts the governance and decision making in the city.
"I'm not alleging anything but I'm suggesting that there is an optic and presumption problem that from a policy perspective, we might have to deal with as a municipality and as a council," says McKenzie.
She was one of 278 people that applied.
Deneau and two others were interviewed by a panel and according to the city, she was the top scoring candidate and was offered the position.
The city also said she scored the highest by all three interviewers.
Deneau has 27 years of relevant experience in project management.