Sheila Simon, democratic candidate for lieutenant governor, stopped on campus to discuss just a few of those problems at a roundtable discussion with local women leaders at the Women’s Resource Center in Champaign on Wednesday.

Behind all the budget cuts and campaign arguments going into the 2010 election, are real people facing real problems that they’re asking Illinois to fix.

Sheila Simon, democratic candidate for lieutenant governor, stopped on campus to discuss just a few of those problems at a roundtable discussion with local women leaders at the Women’s Resource Center in Champaign on Wednesday.

“This is a horrible set of decisions to have to make and I want to be sure someone I trust is making those decisions,” Simon said while discussing the concern that the state has less money, but more people to serve. “The state has been running away from making these unattractive decisions.”

Simon, who was selected by the Democratic party after Scott Lee Cohen dropped out of the race, said one of the nice parts about not being an incumbent is that she has time to go around the state and listen.

She was joined by Rep. Naomi Jakobsson (D-Urbana), Urbana Mayor Laurel Prussing and other community leaders.

The lunch discussion surrounded the issues at the forefront of these women’s jobs and daily lives including education, elderly care, domestic violence, the environment and more.

Jennifer Hixson, the former director of multicultural program in Urbana Schools, spoke about both the challenges facing women in schools as both educators and students.

She said she has seen struggles for families with two mothers, two fathers or single-parent homes to fit into the idea of what the school and the state consider a family.

“State leaders should be leading by example,” Hixson said, referencing the fact that Illinois legislators have not yet legalized civil unions.

Laura Frerichs, economic development assistant to developer Peter Fox and wife of Sen. Mike Frerichs (D-Champaign) said that even in her work at Research Park, she has been disappointed at how little progress has been made for women, with them representing only about 10 percent of the employees.

She encouraged the need for more math and science education and encouragement at a younger age for women.

Leisha Banks, director of the University YWCA, said her main goal is to help young women and create a generation of leaders, but with the rising costs of education she said she worries college will no longer be affordable for many.

Another often discussed issue for families is having affordable day-care, especially with both parents working.

Both Ruth Wyman, former president for the Champaign County Chapter of NOW and former Urbana city council member, and Julia Reitz, Champaign County State’s Attorney expressed the need for cost-effective daycare, including in the county courthouse.

“It’s not too much to ask from government that we get a fair shake,” Simon said.

Reitz also called out Gov. Pat Quinn and state government for giving employees raises while so many others are struggling, as was outlined in an Associated Press article earlier this week.

“The state’s not paying the bills the state needs to pay,” Reitz said. “I’d like to see the state government make cuts the way I’ve had to make cuts the effect my employees.”

Simon said she had not yet spoken to Quinn about the article.

Budget cuts around the state are also forcing people to make decisions they don’t want to make, said Shirley Stillinger, former Champaign County Board member and co-founder of A Woman’s Place.

She said there is a need for decent, affordable housing and described the case where a woman would come into the shelter after deciding to leave a violent relationship, but would wind up having to go back to that relationship because she couldn’t afford to find anywhere else to live.

“If you don’t have a decent and safe place to live, everything else falls to the wayside,” Stillinger said.

Simon said she does support increasing revenue, even including a tax increase.

“We can’t just keep spending without a way to pay for it,” she added.