SALEM, OR -- Governor Kate Brown held her first press conference Friday morning, since being sworn in Wednesday.  She took questions for about 20 minutes, including on her accessibility to the media.  "Governor Kitzhaber and I have very different personalities, and hopefully you'll see that," she told reporters.  "I have instructed by communications director to come up with regular interactions with the media.  I'd like to avoid late evening TV cameras taping me as I'm walking into my home."  

She promised to increase transparency in the Executive Branch, saying her office is working to release more e-mails from teh continuing investigation into former Governor John Kitzhaber and fiancee Cylvia Hayes. "We will be releasing public records, as many as we can. I've spoken to the AG's [Attorney General's] office about providing special council so we can release them in an orderly manner. As I mentioned, we're looking at the public records legislation and I know the AG is also working on that legislation, as well."  She added, she plans to remove the Governor's authority to veto appointments to the Oregon Ethics Commission, and called on lawmakers to pass legislation strengthening the independence and capacity of the commission.  

Brown says she plans to uphold Kitzhaber's moratorium on death penalty executions in Oregon, but believes the state needs to have a broader conversation on how to approach the issue, going forward.  Brown also said she and her husband Dan Little plan to move into the Governor's Mansion in Salem.