Freshman Idaho rep’s website subject of scrutiny
A newly-minted Idaho lawmaker changed his Internet biography after questions about its accuracy.
When Rep. Mark Patterson was elected in Boise’s District 15, his Facebook site listed him as a University of Southern California student and petroleum engineer.
But Patterson never attended USC and isn’t an engineer, though he once worked in Wyoming’s oil fields.
The 60-year-old Republican says the inaccurate details were posted by a former campaign staffer, without his knowledge.
Patterson, whose company makes bike lubrication products, did stick to claims he was a professional cyclist.
Though he held no professional license, Patterson said he was paid in the 1990s by another lube company to market products by riding amateur races.
House Majority Caucus Chairman John Vander Woude said the matter shows lawmakers should monitor their online identities.
