The co-founder of Shane Homes, Cal Wenzel, spoke to the media on Wednesday morning for the first time since video surfaced showing him implying that city council could be bought.

Wenzel told the gathering that it has been a difficult few days for him, with his integrity being questioned in the media.

He adds that the relationship between his company and City Hall has broken down and they just see him as the enemy.

Wenzel says he just wants to build homes for families.

He also said that he plans to get to the bottom of who took the video and what their intent was.

"It is one of the most cowardly things I have ever seen done. This was a private meeting, only 100 people invited. Honestly can't say why anyone would do that."

When asked if they would be pursuing that person themselves, Wenzel said that they would but wouldn't say what he would do with that information once it was obtained.

He’s never hidden the fact that he wants to influence council, and has released videos before that encourage builders to get involved because decisions made on the council affect their jobs.

But in a secretly shot video, he implies some councilors are already on his side.

The video was reported earlier this week that showed Wenzel at a presentation speaking about targeting specific councillors who will be more conducive to developers’ agendas before the next election.

The developers would then provide those candidates with more support in return for their help in key votes.

Wenzel mentioned current and former municipal and provincial politicians by name.

Councillors Peter Demong, Shane Keating, and Diane Colley-Urqhart are all “looked after”, according to him.

Both Demong and Keating say they’ve accepted donations from Shane Homes in the past, but they have never been influenced to vote a certain way.

Colley-Urqhart didn’t respond to interview requests.

Wenzel also says that he and a number of other builders have given a total of more than a million dollars to the Manning Centre, a organization in Calgary which trains political hopefuls.

Chuck Strahl, director of the Manning Centre says that funding for the facility doesn’t buy influence and there is always a contribution agreement involved.

“We don’t just take the money in brown paper bags. We say, ‘here is what we’re going to spend it on, you are going to have to give it to us and trust us.’”

Charron Unger with the Home Builders Association says that all homebuilders aren’t as involved in politics as others. “It’s essential to recognize that for us, like any other industry, that members of our industry, in our association or not, are going to be more politically active than others.”

Wenzel is adamant that he was not trying to buy votes and did not do anything illegal.

The issue has since exploded, with Mayor Nenshi calling for an investigation because he believes the comments violate the Elections Act.

Elections Alberta has yet to comment on the issue.