Secretary of State Mary Herrera wants Jerome Block Jr. to explain some of his recent actions to her in writing by next Friday.

Herrera's office planned to send a letter today to the Democratic candidate for the Public Regulation Commission, seeking his explanation of a recent series of events surrounding $2,500 in public campaign funds.

The office since last week has been looking into whether state law was violated by Block, who has admitted he lied about public money he gave to San Miguel County Clerk Paul Maez, a longtime friend and that county's top election official. The District 3 PRC candidate's financial report said the money went to Maez's band, Wyld Country, to perform at a rally in May, but the band never played. After news reports about the matter, Block refunded $2,500 to the secretary of state.

Herrera said her letter gives Block a chance "to explain his e-mail where he said that he ... lied or whatever and didn't hire the band and so forth." The secretary of state also wants to know why Block took so long to return the money.

Herrera said her office has been gathering information on the matter and was told by state attorneys that Block should get a chance to outline his version of events.

Attorney General Gary King said Herrera's office had "primary authority" over the matter, but the agencies are working together. "It's certainly our opinion that the campaign reporting act is primarily the bailiwick of the SOS, but we're certainly happy to give them any guidance," he said.

Asked whether he thought he'd have the necessary information by now, he said, "I would think it would be unusual for us to have a lot of information by now. It takes a while to gather all the information."

Attempts to obtain comment from Block about the secretary of state's plan to send him the inquiry letter were unsuccessful.

Already, Block is trying to explain himself to voters with an ad in this week's Rio Grande Sun, an Española weekly newspaper.

In the ad, Block presents what he called a series of "not only wrong information, but outright lies" by the media.

As one example, the ad says, "REPORT: Block has submitted false reports to the Secretary of State (SOS). FACT: Reporting mistakes have been made. Funds in question have been returned to the SOS."

Block also defends statements he's made about his educational background, touts his family heritage and says about his opponent, Green Party member Rick Lass, "FACT: I am not responsible for my opponent's lack of roots or family connections in this district." Block's ad doesn't directly address his arrest record, which he incompletely described in responding to news media inquiries, other than saying, "FACT: No candidate in this election is perfect. FACT: I have made mistakes in the past and I sincerely apologize for them."

Meanwhile, unlike other past campaigns, several top Democrats appear to be steering clear of the race, just a month before the Nov. 4 election.

Gov. Bill Richardson "is not getting involved in that race as of now," his office said Wednesday. Lt. Gov. Diane Denish "will not be endorsing any candidate in the PRC race," according to her office. And Ben Ray Luján, whose PRC seat would be filled by either Block or Lass, said Thursday that he won't endorse a candidate.

However, the New Mexico Independent in July quoted a Luján spokesman saying "Ben Ray Luján supports a strong Democratic ticket with candidates that will stand up for New Mexico and that includes Jerome Block Jr.," The Independent also reported Luján's campaign had first told the online newspaper it had no comment on whether he'd support Block.

But Block last month claimed he had Luján's backing.

"Ben Ray's campaign has been consistent," Block told The New Mexican in a Sept. 18 interview. "They have been in support of a strong Democratic ticket which includes myself. That's been their message."

Block later said, "Ben Ray is a good Democrat."

The PRC candidate also said at the time that he planned to have a "rollout" of endorsements soon.

During the same interview, Block's campaign manager, Jonathan Valdez, said in reference to Luján, "We do have his backing."

But on Thursday, Luján's campaign issued a statement saying he is "very concerned about what has happened. These are serious issues. He is confident that the Secretary of the State and the Attorney General will review this matter thoroughly. The Commissioner believes that as a public figure, you must earn and protect the trust of the public. He's focused on his own race for Congress, and he has no plans to formally endorse."

Lass said Thursday that he plans to endorse Luján's candidacy for Congress during a Democrats for Lass gathering in Santa Fe. "I think Ben Ray has proven himself on the PRC as a progressive who has stood up for New Mexicans."

Lass said he doesn't expect Luján to support him, but he quickly dismissed the idea of backing Carol Miller, an independent candidate for the 3rd Congressional District. She previously ran for Congress as a Green.

"She's basically turned her back on the Green Party, and she's not working really hard to get elected," Lass said. "And I think Ben Ray would do a much better job. Carol doesn't really work hard to pull people together. . . . I think she's very divisive."

Others are endorsing Lass in the contest.

The Renewable Energy Industry Association on Thursday endorsed Lass, saying his responses to a questionnaire showed he had "a sincere commitment to renewable energy and an understanding of the issues that would be before the PRC."

Of Block, the association said, "Mr. Block's letter, while indicating a basic understanding of utility scale renewable energy, was candidly short on specifics, especially with respect to distributed generation (rooftop solar) that is being developed in the state of New Mexico."

Earlier, the Rio Grande Chapter of the Sierra Club endorsed Lass, noting he is a St. John's College graduate who has been involved in Santa Fe politics for the last decade. The group said Block "has nothing on his Web site, did not answer our questionnaire and seems to have difficulty presenting his position on anything."

Susan Martin, who chairs the group, added: "Mr. Block's misleading statements on his résumé leave us to wonder if he will represent utility customers of New Mexico in the same manner."

The race for the $90,000-a-year regulatory post has garnered an unusual amount of interest. Common Cause New Mexico, a nonpartisan government-reform group that pushed for passage of the law that authorized public funding of PRC candidates' campaigns, last month asked the Secretary of State's Office to get involved.

Common Cause said in a recent news release that Block "apparently" violated two aspects of the act, one requiring "timely truthful reporting of expenditures of public funds" and another requiring that "public funds not used for legitimate campaign expenses be refunded to (the secretary of state's) office at the conclusion of the primary."

PRC District 3 includes Santa Fe, parts of Bernalillo and Sandoval counties and north-central and northeastern New Mexico.

Contact Kate Nash at 986-3036 or knash@sfnewmexican.com. Read her blog, Green Chile Chatter, at www.santafenewmexican.com.