The following email was sent to me by County Commissioner Ed Peterson in response to my last email which discussed possible violations of the Johnson County Code of Ethics. My response to Mr. Peterson's email is available here.

Here is his email:

Dear Mr. Phillips:

Before addressing the details of your last correspondence, I would like to ask your readers to be sure to consider the overall positive impact the youth soccer complex will have upon Johnson County and the surrounding neighborhoods. The facilities will be first class. The economic benefits of the complex will be substantial. While you and others disagree with some of the details such as the current zoning category for the property, the reality is that this facility is an investment that will produce great benefits for our community. I am pleased to support it and I am sorry that you choose to oppose it by denigrating public employees.

In your reply to my request for a specific statement of the nature of Commissioner Lindstrom's alleged conflict of interest you state that you do not believe Commissioner Lindstrom has made one dime from his involvement in the youth soccer complex issue. You also state that you are not accusing Commissioner Lindstrom of any impropriety. You further state that you do not believe Commissioner Lindstrom expects to earn any income in the future from the youth soccer complex initiative.

While these statements make clear that you do not have any basis for your allegation of conflict of interest and that you are not making any accusation of a conflict of interest, I nevertheless have looked into the connection between Mr. Lindstrom's Burger King interest and this soccer initiative and I can find no indication of impropriety.

Mr. Lindstrom's holdings are detailed in his financial disclosure statement. He has made no secret of these interests. He has made the disclosures required by law. As you note in your email, the connection between youth soccer and Burger King occurs at the national level and Commissioner Lindstrom has no involvement with that. You also draw a connection between MLS and Burger King through an agreement that does not yet exist according to your email. I submit that an agreement not yet in existence and this remote is pure speculation and not a basis for concern and certainly should not be the basis for a public accusation of improper conduct.

You recite several provisions of the ethical codes of Johnson County. One of your concerns is that Commissioner Lindstrom's Burger King holdings prevent or interfere with his oversight responsibilities, particularly controlling the accuracy of information. I could find no evidence that Burger King or any other financial interest of Commissioner Lindstrom played a role in the selection of information to be presented. So if mistakes were made, they were just that: mistakes. You would have Commissioner Lindstrom make additional disclosures or disclaimers to further alert the public. One has to question what additional statements should be made. You know about his Burger King holdings; you have investigated them and you conclude that Commissioner Lindstrom has done nothing improper.

I do not see any basis to your claims that Commissioner Lindstrom has a conflict of interest or that he has engaged in improper conduct. You have admitted that he has done nothing improper. I trust this will put an end to these allegations and that from this point forward you can devote your efforts to defeat this measure to the merits of the issue.

Ed Peterson