Ray & Berndtson/Tanton Mitchell Inc., a headhunting firm with ties to the provincial Liberals, has been chosen to assist in the hiring of the province's new auditor general. The choice was made despite objections from three New Democrats members sitting on the public accounts committee - the body responsible for hiring the auditor general. Ray & Berndtson, which was selected following a competitive process, was one of four headhunters in 2001 which donated its time to identify potential senior bureaucrats on behalf of the incoming Campbell administration. Since then, the company has done a substantial amount of executive search work for the government, receiving transfers totalling $447,326. Ray & Berndtson has also contributed $8,036 to Liberal coffers since 1999. Those donations include the dollar value of the company's freebie headhunting work. Earlier, Surrey-Whalley MLA Bruce Ralston raised concerns about using an executive search firm to hire the auditor general because many have coozied up to the Campbell administration. The final hiring decision must be made with the consent of every single member of the public accounts committee.