[1] McFarlane is a political independent (called "Unaffiliated" in North Carolina) but ran with the endorsement of the local Democratic Party.

[5] Before her election as mayor, McFarlane was a pharmacist and small business owner, served on the Raleigh City Council.

[9] In 2013, McFarlane was named one of the top entrepreneurs in the Triangle region by Business Leader Magazine.

[15] When her predecessor in the office, Charles Meeker, decided to not seek re-election as mayor in 2011, he suggested to both McFarlane and fellow city councilor (and eventual successor) Mary-Ann Baldwin that one of the two should run in his place.

The new governor, Pat McCrory, backed by the legislature, made several attempts early in his term to halt or reverse the deal, but she developed a close working relationship with McCrory, himself a former mayor of a large North Carolina city (Charlotte) and in 2015, he reversed his former position and the lease was signed, allowing the city to build its park on the land.

[16] McFarlane remained popular and was easily re-elected in 2013 and 2015, with her only serious opposition coming from Charles Francis during the 2017 campaign.

[16] Following surgery to correct debilitating back pain, on March 13, 2019, McFarlane announced that she would not be seeking re-election to a fifth term as mayor.

[16] She was replaced in the 2019 election as mayor by her long-time political ally Mary-Ann Baldwin, and many of the council members who stood against her during her last term as mayor lost their seats on the city council, with the Baldwin administration re-enacting many of McFarlane's prior policies and programs.