Bombshells about an extra-marital affair, spying at municipal hall, and potential police misconduct were all dropped at a Vancouver Island mayor’s press conference Monday.

Richard Atwell, who unseated long-serving Saanich mayor Frank Leonard in the last election, told reporters he recently learned someone in the District of Saanich IT department had been instructed to install spyware on his computer and others.

“I was told a spying program called Spectre 360 was to capture information typed and accessed on my computer and report any usage back to a server controlled by another user or users,” he said.

Atwell has since asked for a full investigation and stopped using his office computer and official email address.

At the same press conference, Atwell admitted he wasn’t “totally truthful” when he denied allegations of cheating last month.

Atwell made headlines after being forced to call 911 during an altercation with a campaign supporter’s fiancé on Dec. 11. The mayor insisted he wasn’t having an extra-marital affair in a subsequent interview, but admitted that was untrue Monday.

“I’m not perfect. I will make mistakes, but when I do I will own them,” he said.

Atwell blamed his dishonesty on being caught off guard at his personal life becoming headline news.

“I was shaken and offended,” he said. “This is a private, personal matter and in no way affects my ability to fulfil my duties as mayor.”

In yet another surprising announcement, Atwelll said he's concerned about how the Saanich Police Department handled the case, and how details of the altercation became public.

He has filed a complaint asking the B.C. Police Complaint Commissioner to review the matter.

The mayor also alleged that Saanich officers have pulled him over four times since he began his mayoral campaign.

“In two of those instances, the officer administered a roadside breathalyzer test which I believe was done without reasonable suspicion,” he said.

Chief Const. Robert Downie said the department has not received any formal complaint from the mayor about police misconduct or the leaking of information.

“He should bring that complaint forward to me for a proper and thorough investigation or report those concerns directly to the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner,” Downie said in a statement.

Atwell refused to answer questions after the press conference, and said he would not be addressing the affair again.