Windsor's mayor is downplaying a second email account he has to conduct city business.
It comes after concerns were raised about the optics and transparency of the second account which is not listed under the mayor's exact name 'Drew Dilkens', but instead uses his middle name.
The mayor has a general public email account at mayoro@citywindsor.ca which is accessible to staff in the mayor's office as well as the mayor.
But Mayor Dilkens says the second account is necessary to conduct city business with administration otherwise, he would be inundated by emails.
"You can not simply have an email address where people in the public are sending all of their concerns to you because as the mayor, you can't address those concerns in a timely manner and the public expects a response that's faster than the mayor can do directly himself," he says.
He says everyone at the city knows what his email address is because 'that's how he communicates back and forth' and the second account does not violate the code of conduct.
"The mayor needs to have his or her own email address because you are having private communications with the police chiefs and other people in the organization," he says. "So I absolutely have no concern about my conduct."
He points out most mayors and politicians have a second account.
"At the end of the day, if anyone wishes to file a complaint, if they believe that there is a violation with the code of conduct based on my behaviour, one can go to the integrity commissioner," he adds. "In fact, I have communications through my email account with the integrity commissioner so there is nothing to hide and will continue to operate the way that I have."
Windsor's Integrity Commissioner Bruce Elman says complaints filed during an election year must have been filed before June 30. He tells AM800 news any complaints that are submitted now, would only be transferred to him after the election.
Dilkens says if he had to do it again, he would set up the second account.