At the time, councillors argued the mayor’s 2015 resolution allows for the focus to move away from the city hall expansion debacle that is subject to an ongoing $28.5 million lawsuit against the municipality by Inzola Group.

Council pushed for a probe after a $308,000 investigation into the SWQ by external investigator George Rust-D’Eye, hired by the city in 2014, raised more questions about staff’s handling of the historic deal.

John Cutruzzola, a local developer and former Citizen of the Year, alleges his firm was unfairly disqualified from bidding on the project and that the city showed favouritism toward Dominus Construction in the awarding of the deal.

Ongoing legal issues have stymied council’s request for a full-blown probe.

But some of Jeffrey’s most vocal critics contend the city may never be lifted from under the weight of scandal unless the mayor delivers on her promise to rid city hall of the rot that ran so deep under previous administrations.

Rivals accuse Jeffrey of allowing the SWQ controversy to fester.

On that front, Jeffrey said she is ready to face her critics head-on.

“It’s really hard to constantly run a city looking in the rearview mirror. I’m trying to look forward,” said Jeffrey. “We want to give people the confidence that we are following the right processes.”

Jeffrey said her expectations are that investigators will look at standard operating procedures and whether there are enough checks and balances in place to ensure guidelines are followed to the letter.

“I am interested in what they (investigators) give us as feedback,” Jeffrey told The Guardian.