Residents packed Toowoomba South Bowls Club to hear from Toowoomba Regional Council candidates. Andrew Backhouse

TEMPERS flared and accusations were flung about at the final forum before the Toowoomba Regional Council election.

The evening at Toowoomba South Bowls Club started as a gentlemanly affair with candidates given two minutes each to state their cases.

But an hour into the event mayoral candidate Rob Berry suddenly launched a broadside against Mayor Paul Antonio, calling on him to resign and apologise.

"He made a misleading statement, at two candidate forums, deliberately," he said.

"He told the ratepayers that council has cash reserves of $180 million."

Mr Berry then claimed to have evidence that proved the statements were incorrect.

Cr Antonio didn't respond to the allegations during his two minutes, instead choosing to talk "positively about the community", which drew an applause from the audience.

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The event was hosted by Win News and the Trades & Labour Council, a group that has been hostile to Cr Antonio, but the crowd seemed to be evenly split between left and right-leaning voters.

"I'm very very comfortable to stand on my record, with jobs that have been created, the things that have been done, the long-term jobs that have been created by the investment we created," Cr Antonio said.

Tension in the room was shown by a loud outburst which interrupted Cr Antonio when he mentioned interest for the Quarry Gardens project.

An audience member asked if council would be politicised by the election of union members to council - clearly a shot at Chris McGaw - and an attempt was made to shut that question down, but it was eventually allowed.

"Toowoomba Regional Council has been apolitical - are we going to see that it will no longer - or will never have - unions as part of the council," the questioner asked.

Mr McGaw took umbrage with an article published in the High Country News with quotes from Cr Antonio.

"This is the rubbish that Paul published in the Highfields paper recently. And it's all pointed at me. Can somebody tell me how I can bring politics to a council that is all run by the LNP," he said to loud applause.

"I'm proud to be a union member, I'm proud, I've worked for a living."

"I will represent the ordinary people not the buggers at the big end of town."

Win News reporter Caitlin Holding adroitly moderated the forum, taking on the role of Tony Jones from ABC's QandA and using his well-known phrase to fend off trivial questions, "I'll take that as a comment".

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What they said

Councillor candidates

Joe Ramia: Council has done well but we need to deal with parking.

Council has done well but we need to deal with parking. Chris McGaw: Wants to represent workers.

Wants to represent workers. Gerard O'Leary: Will work for farmers.

Will work for farmers. Robin Grundon: Drive changes in services.

Drive changes in services. Carol Taylor: Council has delivered.

Council has delivered. Craig Commens: Make life easy for business.

Make life easy for business. Murray Choat: Promote vocational education.

Promote vocational education. Peter Pyke: Dissatisfied with council.

Dissatisfied with council. Craig Stibbard: Bring council back to the people.

Bring council back to the people. Neville Stewart: We need safer roads.

We need safer roads. Garry Humphries: Staff need to feel proud.

Staff need to feel proud. Heather Woodcraft: More spending on tourism.

More spending on tourism. Peter Marks: Community, infrastructure, development.

Community, infrastructure, development. Mike Williams: Improvements in service efficiencies will save money.

Improvements in service efficiencies will save money. Rusel Campbell: Standing for parks and gardens.

Standing for parks and gardens. Bill Cahill: Fair distribution of council resources.

Fair distribution of council resources. Anne Glasheen: Bridging divide between city and country.

Bridging divide between city and country. Cos Marendy: Community is about lifestyle.

Community is about lifestyle. Voelcker Sapolu: Listen to the people.

Listen to the people. Megan O'Hara Sullivan: We need more jobs and opportunities.

We need more jobs and opportunities. Diane Warr: Rural people have been overlooked.

Rural people have been overlooked. Adrian Weatherall: Council needs to look after everyone.

Council needs to look after everyone. James O'Shea: Region is on the cusp of great things.

Region is on the cusp of great things. Tony Lake: Council needs to listen, learn and act.

Council needs to listen, learn and act. Geoff McDonald: We need a safe and equitable community.

We need a safe and equitable community. Ben Apsey: Give voice to younger people.

Give voice to younger people. David Campbell: Balance growth and community.

Balance growth and community. Carolyn Cranch: Will bring passion to council.

Mayoral candidates