AFTER living, working and volunteering on the Southern Downs for 16 years, country music singer Maggie Stokes is in tune with the community.

The Goomburra resident is throwing her hat into the councillor election ring and she's not afraid to put her voice to the big issues.

Mrs Stokes has been attending Southern Downs Regional Council meetings over the past term, watching on in interest.

What she's seen and heard was enough to spur her into action.

"I've been watching everything that happens in council, thinking things can be done better," she said.

"I think people are sick and tired of rates increases, lack of services and too much red tape."

The councillor candidate has been out and about talking to people at sessions hosted by the Save our Shire Action Group.

From her discussions with residents, one of the big issues in her eyes is rates.

"I think we've had enough increases to freeze rates for two years," she said.

"We have to look at other areas to cut back spending and we need to encourage more people to move into the area."

While some of the candidates have come out backing the CEO and calling for a new council, Mrs Stokes has a different view.

She believes a whole new council isn't necessarily the answer.

"We really need security, not a whole heap of new people trying to pull the council in different directions and changing everything," she said.

"We need to have some experience in there."

She said she believed the CEO's job was to serve the councillors, and CEOs had too much power in the past.

Mrs Stokes is well known in country music circles as the organiser of the Goomburra Country Music Stampede. Now she's putting her mind to another festival, April in Allora, which will start up this year.

Mrs Stokes and her husband Graham own a quarter horse stud and have an engineering business.