A Denver city councilman is calling for an independent investigation into years-old sexual harassment allegations against Mayor Michael Hancock.
Councilman Rafael Espinoza -- a fellow Democrat -- said in a letter to the mayor that he wants the public to see the findings.
Espinoza is questioning whether the city paid hush money to conceal the mayor's harassing behavior.
During an executive session on Tuesday, city council members were briefed by the City Attorney’s Office about prior sexual harassment settlements with city.
9NEWS reporter Jeremy Jojola says Mayor Hancock was not in attendance.
"The citizens of Denver deserve no less than answers to these questions and a full and complete accounting of your behavior and the true context of the settlement agreements in relation to your actions," the letter read in part.
Mayor Hancock recently apologized when it surfaced that he sent sexually suggestive texts to a police officer on his detail six years ago.
In an interview with 9Wants to Know, Hancock says he regrets sending the text messages and that he was “too casual” in his correspondence with his subordinate.
“I never want to embarrass this city and I certainly don’t want to embarrass my wife and children," Hancock said. "I’ve done that here and that’s why it’s important to me to lean in and take responsibility”
The messages, which can be read here, were sent and received during the mayor’s first year in office to Denver Police Detective Leslie Branch-Wise– just months after he denied allegations that he paid prostitutes for sex.
