Kim Eulner 'Returns Home' As Shrewsbury Mayor After Trenton

SHREWSBURY, NJ — Former Republican Assemblywoman Kim Doran Eulner has been chosen mayor of Shrewsbury, where she had served on the Borough Council.

And Eulner, who lives in the borough home she grew up in, says coming back to local government after a term in the Assembly feels like she is "back where my heart is."

"It feels wonderful" to be serving in local government, she said, especially in a town she has lived since childhood.

Eulner's term expires Dec. 31, 2024. There will be a new election for mayor this November.

Former Mayor Erik Andersen, also a Republican, vacated his position Jan. 4 after his election to the Monmouth County Board of County Commissioners in November 2023.

The Republican Organization of Shrewsbury then selected three names to consider for the mayor's post. Those put forth were Eulner, as well as Councilman Brendan Gilmartin (re-elected in November) and Council President Donald Eddy.

At a meeting Jan. 9, the vote for Eulner was unanimous, said Borough Administrator Christopher Cherbini.

Jan. 9 was also the night of a major rainstorm, and Eulner said she called people to tell them not to risk coming out. But she said she was really touched by the "full house" in attendance at Borough Hall.

On Jan. 4, Republicans Brendan Gilmartin and James "Jim" Daly, who won election in November, were sworn into office at the borough's annual reorganization meeting.

Eulner grew up in the town and was a Shrewsbury councilwoman from 2018 to 2022, serving as council president in 2020 and chairwoman of the Open Space Committee in 2021, according to her New Jersey Assembly Republicans bio.

Now, as mayor, she is ready to advocate for several areas in the borough, she said.

Her priorities include protection of open space, responding to needs of active military and veterans in the borough, and renewing a focus on the historical significance of Shrewsbury.

The Allen House, one of the structures on the historic Four Corners on Route 35 and Sycamore Avenue, will be receiving upgrades from the Monmouth County Historical Association, she said.

The annual reading of the Declaration of Independence there really brings home the meaning of the document, she said, and brings the community together.

According to the bio, Eulner earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology in 1988 from Washington College in Chestertown, Md. She went on to work on Wall Street focused on commission management. Since 2019, she manages analytics for the financial and insurance industries at an Eatontown-based data company and is a licensed real estate agent. Eulner has two adult sons, the bio says.

And Eulner said her experience in Trenton will give her a good working relationship with officials there and at the county level to advance borough needs.

She became an assemblywoman representing the 11th District in January 2022, but lost re-election in November, along with her fellow GOP running mates.

Democratic State Sen. Vin Gopal was re-elected, and his Democratic running mates Luanne M. Peterpaul and Margie Donlon were elected to represent the district in Trenton.