Joette Katz on Perry Zinn Rowthorn: F*^#&^@ A*& H%#@.

There may be some tensions in the Shipman & Goodwin lunchroom. Former DCF commissioner Joette Katz joined the firm several months ago after leaving state government. Perry Zinn Rowthorn served as former Attorney General George Jepsen’s deputy before they both left office in January and joined Shipman & Goodwin.

Katz was unsparing and vulgar in her criticism of Rowthorn in text messages to former Office of Policy and Management deputy secretary Natalie Wagner. Katz and Rowthorn clashed when the attorney general’s office raised objections to a settlement of the Juan F. DCF consent agreement. The deal negotiated by Katz and outside counsel would have required the legislature to guarantee a minimum level of funding for DCF, taking away much of its budgetary discretion.

The frantic search for legacies within the Malloy administration raised the temperature on discussion of the proposed lifting of the consent agreement. Katz had been hoping it would be hers.

Wagner was one of the OPM officials assigned to DCF matters. She and Katz exchanged many messages on a wide variety of topics and personalities.

Katz’s messages are shaded in the selection above.