A Portland council member who asked their Latino coworker to speak in English has been performing their taxpayer-funded role remotely from Spain, according to recent revelations. Mary Nolan, who uses they/them pronouns, found themselves at the centre of a controversy this week after a recorded council meeting captured them requesting colleague Juan Carlos González to repeat his statement in English, despite him already speaking perfectly in the language.
Extended Remote Work in Europe
Now, it has emerged that the 71-year-old council member has been working remotely from Spain since at least February 5, following multiple extended periods in the European country throughout the previous year. The Oregonian reported that Nolan worked from Spain from March 24, 2025, to June 5, then again from July 24 to September 18, and once more from November 3 to January 8.
Nolan explained to The Oregonian that they visit family in Spain "occasionally" or when a relative "needs help." Portland does not mandate in-person attendance for council meetings but does require members to reside in their respective districts. The position, which is not full-time, carries an annual salary of $68,000.
Language Request During Housing Policy Discussion
Nolan was working remotely during the February 24 meeting when they asked González to repeat his comments in English while discussing a housing policy. González had already delivered his original response flawlessly in English. Nolan repeated the remote work arrangement on February 26, when they apologised to González in both Spanish and English.
González expressed his dismay, stating, "I was shocked again for the second time in a week. It did not feel great." During the housing policy debate, Nolan had asked the bill's sponsors, including González, to define "regionalism." González responded in part, "My concern and worry is that in the definition of regionalism, you're moving forward, or that you had - that we talked about - includes decimating funding to Washington and Clackamas County." He added, "There's language that is kind of very needs-based and that to me is like sending signals to some really strong shifts in the framework of SHS entirely."
Council Reaction and Apology
Nolan then inquired, "Councilor, can you say that in English? I don't understand what you just said." The comment caused the entire board to pause in shock, with Councilman Ashton Simpson putting his head in his hands. González sat silently for a moment before replying, "Um, okay. Let me try to repeat that in English, which is the language I was speaking."
In a subsequent meeting, Nolan apologised for disrespecting González's "heritage," as he is the first Latino member to serve on the board. "On reflection, I realised one of my questions to you on Tuesday during our discussion of the RPOC disrespected you, as well as people in our audience," they said. Nolan pledged to exercise "more thought and sensitivity" in future comments.
While Nolan delivered the apology, González rubbed his forehead, and Simpson concealed a look of surprise. After the statement, González thanked them before the council proceeded with agenda items.
Clarification and Aftermath
Nolan later clarified to the outlet that they did not intend to reference the English language specifically but used the term colloquially to seek clarification due to perceived "vagueness" in González's remarks, asserting "no malice" toward the councilman. The two have since spoken by phone, though neither has disclosed the conversation's contents. The Daily Mail has contacted Nolan for further comment.
