The state Attorney General's Office is reviewing a scathing letter of resignation from the recently resigned state Bureau of Elections director that accuses the Secretary of State's Office of violating New Mexico's Governmental Conduct Act and election laws.

The letter in question is from A.J. Salazar, who resigned Friday. It reportedly accuses Secretary of State Mary Herrera of soliciting donations from companies that contract with her office and ordering some of her employees to gather signatures on petitions for her re-election campaign.

Phil Sisneros, a spokesman for Attorney General Gary King, said in an e-mail to The New Mexican that "we never discuss ongoing investigations, including whether or not there is one." But, he added, "I can tell you that the letter is being reviewed by our folks."

Deputy Secretary of State Francisco Trujillo on Thursday refused to give a reporter a copy of Salazar's letter, claiming it was a "personnel issue."

Salazar didn't return phone calls on Thursday.

In a copyrighted story Thursday, the Albuquerque Journal reported that Salazar's letter said Herrera "insisted that we obtain 'sponsorships' or donations through targeted communications with firms or businesses with whom we contract" to support training seminars for county clerks across New Mexico.

Salazar said Herrera accused him of going over her head when he sought legal advice on the sponsorships.

He also said Herrera ordered her exempt employees — political hires outside the state personnel system — to gather 1,000 signatures each for her re-election campaign. Herrera told the Journal that the petitions were brought up during a lunch meeting and some people volunteered to gather signatures, but "nothing was handed to my employees by me."

Herrera late Thursday released a statement saying Salazar's allegations "are false and misleading."

"Because this is a personnel matter I am not at liberty to get into many of the details regarding these allegations," she said. "We are also reviewing many internal policies to make our office more efficient and effective. ... We wish A.J. Salazar well and look forward to continuing to serve our great state."

State Sen. Dianna Duran, of Tularosa, a Republican who is running against Democrat Herrera, said she also was "disappointed" by Salazar's allegations. "It's just a sad situation," she said. "Some elected officials need to be reminded that we're public servants. We're here to serve the people, not ourselves."

Sarah Welsh, executive director of New Mexico Foundation for Open Government, said Trujillo is wrong to withhold Salazar's resignation letter from reporters.

"I take the position that resignation letters are public documents, particularly the factual information therein," Welsh told a reporter.

She said the law exempting some personnel matters from the Inspection of Public Records Act is meant to protect employees "from subjective and potentially damaging opinions about their job performance or disciplinary matters."

Said Welsh, "That doesn't seem to be the issue here. Mr. Salazar's letter may contain opinions, but from what we know they're not opinions concerning an employee's job performance or discipline. To the extent there may be allegations against an elected official, the public has an enormous interest in gaining access to that information."

Salazar was hired as director of the Bureau of Elections in April 2009. The post has been a revolving one during Herrera's term. Salazar's predecessor, Gerald Gonzalez, a Santa Fe lawyer, resigned after only three months.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Contact Steve Terrell at 986-3037 or sterrell@sfnewmexican.com. Read his political blog at roundhouseroundup.com.