In a special City Council meeting Tuesday evening, Mayor pro tem Linn Strouse said five individuals have already expressed interest in filling the mayoral vacancy.

Olsen was charged Monday with seven counts of misuse of public funds, just three days after resigning as mayor.

"I was quite surprised I had heard from so many people already, especially given the circumstances," Strouse said. "To me, that [is] a good sign."

The City Council on Tuesday officially opened the application process for people interested in the mayor position.

The deadline for submitting statements of interest is Nov. 9, and the council will meet again in a special meeting Nov. 14 to appoint the new mayor.

"We need to take the time to make the correct decision," said Councilwoman Heather Jackson. Added Strouse: "And take the opportunity to really ask the hard questions."

Any registered voter who has lived in Eagle Mountain for at least one year is eligible for the position.

The newly appointed mayor will serve until the November 2007 election, after which an elected mayor will finish the final two years of Olsen's term.

"I'd like to see [Eagle Mountain] get another chance," said longtime resident Jim Peterson, who was in attendance. "We do have a lot of good people out here."

"I think we can expect to see a lot more applications," Strouse said. "We obviously are in the spotlight of the press . . . I'm sure everyone is going to know about this."

Only a handful of residents showed up for the meeting. Those who did were anxious to move beyond the recent bad publicity.

"We're a young, hardworking community, and it's been disappointing to have representation that doesn't represent that," said Alan Paul, who has lived in Eagle Mountain three years. "We put our trust in someone who told us one thing and did another."

toddh@sltrib.com