Suffolk Scraps Union Contract for GOP Insider's Company

Union leaders and Democratic officials are demanding answers from Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine’s administration after the county abruptly terminated a nearly two-decade contract with a unionized construction company in favor of a firm owned by a Republican appointee.

The Suffolk County Department of Public Works last month canceled its longstanding agreement with Austin Drywall Corp., a Bohemia-based contractor that had maintained county facilities for nearly 20 years. The work was then awarded to Renu Contracting & Restoration, owned by Michael VanDenburg, who Romaine appointed to the county Planning Commission in 2024.

Democratic Suffolk Legislator Greg Doroski joined union workers outside the Public Works building in Yaphank on Friday to protest the decision, calling it political favoritism.

“Austin Drywall Corp. was praised by the County Executive, praised by Majority Leader Nick Caracappa, and had a good record — there are questions that must be answered,” Doroski told reporters.

Union officials and Democratic legislators are calling the contract award a conflict of interest, pointing to VanDenburg’s government position and his history of donations to Republican committees in Suffolk County.

The controversy extends beyond allegations of political favoritism. Labor leaders claim the county may have violated its own Apprenticeship Law, which requires contractors on public projects exceeding $250,000 to participate in state-registered apprenticeship programs. These programs are designed to train local workers while saving taxpayer money, since apprentices can be paid less while learning.

“The county appears to have waived that law,” said union labor leader Vincent Alu. “If we are a nation of laws, those who enforce the law must follow the law, and the county must explain how and why it may have violated its own law.”

Union officials also raised concerns about prevailing wage compliance, the state-mandated minimum pay contractors must offer workers on public jobs. They accused county officials of giving Renu “preferential treatment” by accepting a bid they believe fell below prevailing wage requirements while enforcing labor standards inconsistently.

The terminated Austin Drywall contract was described as a massive “on-call” agreement worth millions of dollars that allowed the county to quickly deploy union workers for repairs across Suffolk’s facilities.

Democratic Suffolk Legislator Jason Richberg emphasized the local economic impact of the decision.

“At a time where we are seeing record numbers of people at food pantries, we don’t want to see our local men and women not in work, we want to see local work done with local people,” Richberg said.

Suffolk County officials firmly denied any wrongdoing or political influence in the contract award. Charles Bartha, commissioner of the Suffolk Department of Public Works, defended the bidding process.

“This contract was put out to bid in accordance with the provisions of New York State and Suffolk County law,” Bartha said. “The bids were carefully scrutinized, and the contract was awarded to the lowest responsible bidder, as the law requires.”

Bartha stressed that the decision “should not be construed as a negative as to the quality of any other bidder,” though county officials did not explain why Austin Drywall’s contract was terminated despite the administration’s previous praise for the company’s work.

Republican sources close to the bidding process dismissed the criticism as partisan politics, though the contract amount has not been publicly disclosed.

The dispute reflects broader tensions in Suffolk County government as Romaine’s Republican administration faces scrutiny from Democratic legislators and union leaders over contracting practices and labor policies.