McKay Apologizes Over Biography
Degree Incorrectly Listed; Candidate Says Aide Made Mistake
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, October 29, 2006; Page SM06
St. Mary's County Commissioners President Thomas F. McKay (R), a state Senate candidate, apologized Thursday for false information on official Web sites and in campaign publications stating that he graduated from the University of Maryland.
Until Thursday afternoon, Web sites of the county government and McKay's state Senate campaign contained biographies that said McKay "attended Ryken High School from 1970-1974 before earning a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration from the University of Maryland in 1979." The same information appeared in election guides printed by The Washington Post and local newspapers before the September primary.
  THOMAS MCKAY (Courtesy Of Thomas F. Mckay) |
McKay took classes at Maryland's College Park campus from 1974 to 1979, according to information provided by the registrar, but left the university without a degree. When asked by The Post about the discrepancy, which was first reported in the newspaper St. Mary's Today, McKay initially said he had received a bachelor's degree in 2001 through University College, Maryland's program for nontraditional students. The program's registrar said records show that McKay enrolled in 2001 but did not receive a degree.
Informed of the records provided by the University College registrar, McKay confirmed that he had not received a bachelor's degree.
McKay said that the incorrect information about a degree from the University of Maryland was the result of a mistake by an administrative assistant in the county commissioners office in editing his biography about a year and a half ago. The assistant read the information that McKay had attended college for over four years and assumed that meant he had a degree, McKay said. The county information was then transferred to his campaign Web site and the various election guides without him seeing it, he said.
"I never knew that information was in there," McKay said. "I relied on someone else to update it, and I never read it. I take full responsibility. I should have reviewed it."
The county and campaign Web sites were corrected late Thursday afternoon.
McKay also apologized for originally saying that he had a degree from University College, saying he "panicked" when pressed on the details of his educational background.
"I was just stunned that this had happened, and I misspoke," he said.
Sen. Roy P. Dyson (D), whom McKay is challenging, declined to comment on the new information, saying he is focused on promoting his own issues.
"It speaks for itself," Dyson said.
