Tuesday was the first in person meeting of Joint Commission on Public Ethics members in Albany. JCOPE commissioners held a brief public meeting before convening and going into an executive session behind closed doors, which didn't sit well with some members of the Capitol press corps. Capital Tonight's Nick Reisman reports.

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NEW YORK STATE -- “In accordance with the open meetings law, say why you’re specifically going into executive session and if you're not could you explain if you're even following the state open meetings law,” Associated Press reporter Michael Gormley said.

The first meeting of Albany's new ethics watchdog last for nearly three hours. For two of those hours, it was to meet privately in an executive session where the press and public weren't allowed. That's because the Joint Commission on Public Ethics is exempt from the state's open meetings law.

“We are following the spirit of the open meetings law. It's been my determination that there are matters that need to be discussed in executive and closed session,” said JCOPE Chairperson Janet DiFiore.

The state's open meetings law does require boards to explain why they're meeting without the public watching. But they have to give a specific explanation. David Grandeau, the former executive director of a predecessor watchdog agency, said it doesn't see JCOPE is starting off on the right foot.

“There's some valid reasons to go into an executive session, but far too often, I think these commissions do things that are uncomfortable for them to do in public, they do behind closed doors,” Grandeau said.

DiFiore, the board chairwoman picked by Governor Andrew Cuomo and also the Westchester County District Attorney, defended the decision.

“The mission and the goal of our work is to increase public confidence in the government that serves the people. Certainly we are focused on that and as part of that mission to raise peoples' confidence, we will to the extent that it is appropriate and wise and reasonable, we'll be working in the most transparent of ways,” DiFiore said.

Not speaking after the meeting was Ravi Batra, Senate Minority Leader John Sampson's controversial pick to sit on the ethics watchdog, who is not normally press shy.