Rob Ford took a tongue-lashing Thursday from outgoing mayor David Miller and a chorus of councillors and candidates, who chastised him for his unsupported allegations that city hall is corrupt.

“If there’s a single piece of evidence or even a hint of something that Councillor Ford thinks is improper,” he should take it to the city’s auditor general and integrity commissioner, Miller told reporters. “And if there is a problem, I want to know about it,” he added. “I want to run a clean city hall. That’s why we have all the integrity officials there.”

Ford was quoted in a local newspaper as saying that the recent award of an untendered 20-year contract to Boardwalk Pub operator Tuggs Inc. “stinks to high heaven.”

He referred specifically to closed-doors discussions, called “in camera” meetings: “These in camera meetings, there’s more corruption and skullduggery going on in there than I’ve ever seen in my life.”

Miller has stayed out of the campaign fray on principle but said he made an exception Thursday because Ford’s comments were “about the integrity of this council.”

“What kind of elected official says something irresponsible like that, smearing people’s reputations, when he has nothing to support it?” Miller said. “And if he did, please tell people.”

Following Miller’s noon-hour comments, Ford issued a statement on his website challenging the mayor to release documents from the closed-door meetings. “I think it was corruption, Mayor Miller doesn’t, so let’s make all the information public and let the taxpayers decide for themselves,” Ford said.

(In camera meetings of council are, under provincial law, held to discuss sensitive, confidential personnel or financial matters, and revealing their contents could expose the city to lawsuits. Actual votes, however, must be taken in public.)

Councillor Doug Holyday, chair of the audit committee, agreed with Miller that Ford should approach the authorities with concerns.

“Corruption is a strong term, and I think in order to use it, you have to have proof,” said Holyday, like Ford a member of council’s right wing. “I really don’t have proof of corruption here and I don’t know that anybody else has.

“If somebody has any evidence of it, they should take it to the authorities, and if they’re not prepared to do that, then I think they’re stepping out of line to use that term.”

Fellow candidate Rocco Rossi likewise denounced Ford’s comments, saying, “It is recklessness of the highest order to make accusations of this sort.” Rossi said Ford should go to the police or integrity commissioner. “When you throw around legal charges like corruption, you better put up or shut up.”

George Smitherman also suggested Ford go to the police, saying, “Drive-by smears are not a substitute for leadership.”

And Joe Pantalone wondered about Ford’s wisdom in maligning councillors: “How does he expect to become mayor and get the confidence of his council colleagues, most of whom will be there after the election? He cannot be the captain of a team if it will not follow him.”

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Recent polls have shown Ford has taken a solid lead among decided voters, reaching well into the 30s, while Smitherman’s numbers remain stagnant in the mid-20s. Joe Pantalone is running third.

With files from Robyn Doolittle