Joseph R. Vena/The Jersey Journal

For Maria Pi?eiro Karczewski, it's all about the money -- and the jobs.

The one-time Bayonne city councilwoman, 54, is running for the state senate in the 31st District against Sen. Sandra Cunningham, a Democrat who has held the seat since 2007. Karczewski, a Republican, ran unopposed in the June primary. The 31st District includes Bayonne and the southern half of Jersey City.

Having held numerous business-related public service positions in Bayonne, she asserted that her utmost priority if elected will be fiscal and physical restoration.
"Specifically, I want to work on improving Bayonne and Jersey City's local economies by attracting industry to our district; create and retain jobs here; and help Hudson County with the ongoing efforts in recovering from Sandy," she said, adding that the recovery efforts are moving too slowly.

"New Jersey's northern counties were hit hard by Sandy, just as our neighbors at the Shore were, and I believe the work to address those issues are long overdue."
A lifelong Bayonne resident, she began the road to her profession as a self-described public advocate in 1997, and not long after was appointed as co-chair of Bayonne citizens' finance advisory board in 2000.

Karczewski's past experience also includes stints as commissioner on the Bayonne Urban Enterprise Zone board, Americans with Disabilities Act board and the Bayonne Local Redevelopment Authority.

She said she was a driving force behind the relocation of Royal Caribbean Cruise Line's home port from New York City to Cape Liberty in Bayonne and the establishment of a Ports America import/export vehicle shipping facility, both of which helped create jobs for the city.
Karczewski was an at-large councilwoman from 2002 to 2006 and unsuccessfully ran for congress last year.

Karczewski presently works as an office administrator at Siemens Corp. and serves as member of the Hudson County Juvenile Conference Committee and Bayonne Spanish-American Citizens' Club.
She noted that her policies as a senator will fall in line with those of Chris Christie, who will also be vying for his second term as governor come Nov. 5.

"I am running ... to give Bayonne and Jersey City a strong voice and strong leadership in Trenton, which I believe would complement the governor's ongoing solid leadership," she said. "For all Gov. Christie has accomplished ? including passing four balanced budgets without raising taxes, which I will work with (him) to deliver four more the same way ? there is more to be done."

Karczewski believes the minimum wage should be raised to $8.25 an hour, but, like Christie, would like to see the increase phased in with an initial hike of 25 cents per hour increase and and two more raises over the next two years.

"Small business ? firms with fewer than 500 employees ? is not only an economic driver for the state of New Jersey, but the economic driver for our nation as a whole and provides jobs for over half of the nation's private workforce," she commented.
"We must do all we can to help small business in our State in an effort to create and keep jobs in New Jersey and in the United States.