She was first elected alderman for the Town of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia in 1985 and held the position until 1992.

[2] McCluskey was elected the 34th and final mayor of the pre-merger Town of Dartmouth, serving from 1992 to the amalgamation in 1996.

[3] She later ran unsuccessfully as the Liberal candidate in the 1998 Nova Scotia general election, losing by 449 votes to Jerry Pye.

[4] In 2004, she rejoined provincial politics representing the riding of Dartmouth Centre for the Halifax Regional Municipality.

[5] McCluskey didn't seek re-election and retired following the 2016 Halifax municipal election.