We can't wait to hear former Eagle Mountain Mayor Brian Olsen's explanation.

Olsen, who abruptly resigned as mayor Friday, was charged on Monday with seven felony counts of misusing public money. The Utah County Attorney's Office said Olsen was paid travel reimbursements or advanced travel expenses for meetings and conferences that either never took place or that he didn't actually attend. The first alleged incident was Feb. 26, almost two months after Olsen took office, and the last one was roughly two weeks ago.

This is not the first time Olsen has found himself in hot water in his tenure as mayor. In May, he admitted to lying about having a master's degree in public administration. Olsen initially blamed the misrepresentation on a campaign worker's confusing a public management course with a college degree, but that story fell apart when an application Olsen filled out came to light showing that he himself claimed to possess an MPA.

But this is far worse than padding a résumé, or even faking a kidnapping, as former Mayor Kelvin Bailey did three years ago. If he took the money as accused, he has violated a sacred trust the people of Eagle Mountain placed in him when he was elected.

As the city's highest-elected official, Olsen had a duty to ensure that the city's money was being spent appropriately. If the allegations are true, then Olsen dipped into the city's coffers to line his pockets almost as soon as he entered office.

One would have expected better behavior from a man who had taken an oath to uphold the law, both as an elected official and earlier as a Utah Highway Patrol trooper. But the fact that he would lie about his academic credentials should have been a warning about his personal integrity.

Given the nature of the situation, it was a bad idea for the Utah County Attorney's Office to pressure city officials on Friday to prevent them from talking about the situation. Council members told reporters they had been instructed by prosecutors not to say anything until after charges were announced. We don't see that it made any difference. In fact, the secrecy fueled wild rumors for an entire weekend.

This was not fair to Olsen and his family, nor was it fair to Eagle Mountain residents who, as the mayor's employer, had a right to know promptly -- at least in general terms -- why their chief executive was suddenly resigning. When an elected official is accused of violating his public trust, it's a slightly different situation than when a garden variety crook commits a crime.

City Council members should at least recognize that prosecutors had no authority whatever to prevent them from doing their public duty and telling the community what happened, even in a reserved way.

Olsen will have plenty of opportunity to answer the charges against him. Perhaps he has a plausible explanation for what happened. If he is guilty, however, he should accept responsibility before putting the legal system through its paces. He could show that he possesses a shred of integrity.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page A5.

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