• She still has 59 per cent support (down from 66 per cent in a previous Forum poll);

• Of the 728 people surveyed on Nov. 20, two-thirds said they are happy with last year’s election outcome; and

• Two thirds of the voters in Brampton (67 per cent) rate Jeffrey a better mayor than Fennell

While there’s usually a honeymoon period for most newly elected politicians, Jeffrey has been pretty much on the firing line every since taking office.

• Jeffrey angered some Christians and traditionalists at the start of 2015 by abolishing the Lord’s Prayer from council proceedings;

• She called on former provincial auditor Jim McCarter to take an in-depth look into the city’s finances;

• The mayor wasn’t happy when a $308,000 report by interim auditor George Rust D’Eye cleared staff of wrongdoing on the controversial Southwest Quadrant renewal (SWQ) deal, and invited provincial investigators to look at procurement practices and real estate dealings; and

• Brampton parted ways with Chief Administrative Officer John Corbett after receiving a very public lambasting from Jeffrey over a late and ill-prepared 2015 budget document.

But the highlight (or lowlight) of her first year in office is the vote on the Hurontario-Main Light Rail Transit (LRT).

Jeffrey ignited tensions as she sought to overturn a 10-1 decision of the previous council to remove Main Street from consideration as a potential route.

For months, Jeffrey campaigned in support of the $1.6 billion Metrolinx preferred route connecting Mississauga’s Port Credit to Brampton’s downtown GO train station.

She tried the soft sell at first in the hopes of garnering support of councillors and area residents, and then went hard on the offensive when rivals pushed for alternatives and made clear they were willing to reject hundreds of millions of dollars in provincial funding for the downtown plan in favour of a “Made in Brampton” option.

Jeffrey chastised her council colleagues when they opted in favour of hiring a facilitator (at a cost of more than $50,000) to help them come to consensus on the LRT. She sat through the facilitation meetings, but did to take part in discussions.

In the end, council rebuffed her and the Metrolinx plan and favoured a line stopping at Steeles Avenue. The vote was a major loss for the ex-municipal affairs minister.

“I thought I did as much (as I possibly) could,” admitted Jeffrey. “I don’t know what I could have done differently.”

Her instincts on the HMLRT proved right, though. The Forum Research survey found that a majority of residents (52 per cent) disagree with council’s to kill the HMLRT downtown, while 27 per cent agreed. One fifth of respondents (21 per cent) don’t have an opinion.

The Guardian has compiled a report card scoring Mayor Jeffrey’s first year in office

ACCOUNTABILITY: B

On the accountability front, Jeffrey managed to strike all the right chords at the start of her reign. From slashing her salary by $50,000 to opening the city’s books to fighting council on its decision to accept a seven per cent pay raise. Jeffrey scores points for sticking up for taxpayers.

TRANSPARENCY: C

Information from the city is still hard to come by. Media and members of council are feeling hard pressed to find out more on the development deal for city hall expansion. Not only was the project delayed by more than a year, but the investigation into potential misconduct cost taxpayers a great deal of money ($308,000) and was largely inconclusive. At the end of the summer, Jeffrey filed a complaint with the integrity commissioner accusing Regional Councillor John Sprovieri of leaking sensitive information to The Guardian about the SWQ and office space the city rents at 8 Nelson St.

LEADERSHIP: C

Jeffrey has quickly built a reputation for being shrewd and uncompromising. She has drawn criticism for openly ridiculing her councillors for the decisions they make (most notably HMLRT). While her tact has won praise in some circles, her approach to governing has largely worked against her. The mayor finds herself alienated from some on council. Of the 11, Jeffrey can count on three, maybe four supporters. Some argue, however, Jeffrey inherited the dysfunction from the previous council, making governing near impossible for anyone. If the mayor gets a C for her leadership, council as a whole gets a grade of ‘F.' The Forum poll revealed less than one-fifth of residents think council is doing a decent job. As many as three in 10 respondents (31 per cent) believes council does a poor job.

VISION: C+

Jeffrey has marked expanded transit and transforming Brampton into a university town as key priorities for her administration. On the transit file, the mayor joined the lobby for all-day, two way GO train service and saw some headway in the fall after the province announced improvements to commuter service in Brampton. However, the pitch isn’t new. Expanded transit and post-secondary education isn’t unique to Jeffrey. The mayor also gets points docked for engaging in a very public spat with former Premier William Davis (“Brampton Billy”) over HMLRT, which threatened to derail progress made by the university panel. The mayor is touting plans to establish Brampton as a hub for the health industry, which sounds very promising.

PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT: B

Jeffrey promised to open up communication between city hall and the electorate and for the most part she has delivered. As part of 2015 and 2016 budget discussion, the mayor and staff have held several telephone and virtual town halls, giving residents a chance to provide input on how tax dollars should be spent. Jeffrey also launched a service satisfaction survey asking residents to rate various city services. Jeffrey is constantly out and about meeting with residents, business leaders and community groups. On hot button issues like HMLRT, residents and community leaders have come out in droves to offer input. The level of public engagement on HMLRT reached record levels, which is a very good thing.

OVERALL GRADE: C