The province's attorney general says he doesn't think Mayor Rob Ford should have used official city letterhead for the character references he wrote in support of two people who have been convicted of crimes.

Wading gently into the debate over Ford's letters, Attorney General John Gerretsen said there’s nothing wrong with politicians writing character references — “we've all done it,” he said — but he said he frowns upon the use of government letterhead.

“I don’t want to get involved in the Ford controversy at all. My personal opinion … is that I don’t think it’s appropriate to use … an official-capacity letterhead … to make those kind of (references),” Gerretsen, a Liberal, said Wednesday at Queen's Park.

“It’s my personal opinion, okay? It’s not the government’s position. We don’t intend to legislate on it,” he said.

Ford used City of Toronto letterhead for a letter on June 4 attesting to the “great work ethic” and “courteous and polite manner” of Alexander “Sandro” Lisi, his friend and occasional driver. The letter was submitted to a judge during sentencing proceedings over Lisi's conviction for threatening to kill a woman.

In January 2012, Ford used city letterhead for a similar letter to a city tribunal in support of Douglas Sedgewick, a tow truck driver with a 1982 conviction for second-degree murder and a serious recent speeding conviction. Sedgewick was seeking his towing license back.

Ford, in a brief comment Tuesday, said he writes many letters for many people. He stormed away from a group of reporters when asked at city hall Wednesday about Gerretsen's remarks.