Three mayoral challengers on Thursday urged the city of Minneapolis to hire more auditing firepower to guard against fraud and other irregularities.

The candidate trio of Bob Carney Jr., John Kolstad and William McGaughey spoke in the City Hall rotunda to buttress the call Wednesday by outside evaluators that the city hire more internal auditors.

Carney said the city should suspend its search for a new internal auditor to replace its sole person in that job until it adopts a plan to hire 10 auditors. The city won't attract high-quality candidates if they're responsible by themselves for keeping tabs on a budget of more than $1 billion, he said.

The search for a new auditor attracted only two candidates who met the job's minimum requirements, according to city officials.

Carney also criticized Mayor R.T. Rybak for leaving a Board of Estimate and Taxation meeting Wednesday during the report by outside audit professionals making the case for more auditors. Rybak sits on the board, which oversees the city's sole internal auditor, who retires next week.

"If you don't know where the money is going, you've got a serious problem," Kolstad said.

McGaughey has been an accountant and said he supports the call by evaluators that a staff of three to five auditors be employed. "You have to have your bases covered," he said. "The report that came out the other day was somewhat shocking."

Rybak and the chair of the City Council's budget committee, Paul Ostrow, said they'll consider adding to the auditing staff.

Kolstad also urged voters to select someone other than Rybak in Tuesday's election, arguing that the incumbent hasn't defended his record in political debate sufficiently to warrant reelection.

Steve Brandt • 612-673-4438