Mary Nolan (politician)

Mary Therese Nolan (born November 28, 1954) is a Democratic politician from the U.S. state of Oregon. She represented District 36 (formerly District 11) in the Oregon House of Representatives from 2001 to 2013, and served as the majority leader from 2008 to 2010. She ran unsuccessfully for the Portland City Council in 2012. She came back into office in 2020, when she was elected as one of the councilors for the Portland-area regional government, Metro.

Personal life and education
Nolan was born in Chicago, Illinois. She is married to Mark Gardiner with one child.

Nolan was in the first class of women admitted into Dartmouth College, from which she graduated magna cum laude in mathematics.

Following her defeat in the 2012 race for the Portland City Council, Nolan was a finalist for a position with Planned Parenthood, and was then hired in 2013 as a vice president at FamilyCare, a Medicare and Medicaid managed-care provider in Portland.

Political career
Nolan was first elected to the Oregon House of Representatives in 2000. Upon winning her second term in 2002, she was named as assistant Democratic leadership. Before the 2009 legislative session, Dave Hunt, the then-majority leader, was elected speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives. The Democratic Caucus then elected Nolan as the new majority leader. She was the House Majority Leader in the Oregon House of Representatives from November 2008 until November 2010. In November 2010, the House Democratic Caucus did not re-elect Nolan to any leadership position.

According to The Oregonian, as of 2010 Nolan voted with Democrats 96.77% of the time, and had a 1.08% absence record. After Nolan voted "no" on House Bill 2001, which would have increased transportation taxes by $300 million a year in 2009, The Oregonian reported that the move could mean that Nolan may have been planning to run for another public office like Mayor of Portland or City Council because of what it meant for environmentalists who had opposed the transportation bill.

Nolan ran for a seat on the Portland City Council in May 2012, challenging incumbent commissioner Amanda Fritz. Fritz won the runoff election in November 2012.

In 2020, Nolan ran in and won the election to serve a four-year term as the 5th district councilor for Metro, the multi-faceted regional government for the Portland metropolitan area. She advanced from the primary on May 19, 2020, and faced Chris Smith in a runoff in the general election. Nolan won with 61% of the vote to Smith's 37%. District 5 covers much of north, northeast, and northwest Portland.

Committee assignments
2009 Regular Session
 * Conference Committee On HB 2227, Chair
 * Land Use Committee, Chair
 * Legislative Administration Committee
 * Rules Committee
 * Session Schedule Committee

Firearms
On March 14, 2003, Nolan introduced a bill that would make it a crime to possess a gun while on a public bus.

Electoral history
Oregon House of Representatives, 11th district, 2000
 * Mary Nolan (D) – 18,008
 * Joan Gardner (R) – 7,752

Oregon House of Representatives, 36th district, 2002
 * Mary Nolan (D) – 16,092

Endorsements

 * 2008: Willamette Week

Other activities
In the 2010 election for governor of Oregon, Nolan endorsed John Kitzhaber, the Democratic former Governor of Oregon. The Kitzhaber campaign released this statement:

"John Kitzhaber is a tested leader. No one else comes close to matching the depth of his experience as a doctor, legislator and Governor. He brings exactly the perspective and problem-solving skills that Oregon needs during this challenging time. Just as important as his experience are John's values and integrity. He will always do what's in the best interest of Oregon, and will show us how we can make Oregon so much stronger when we look beyond selfish concerns."