ALLEN PARK, Mich. – Lighting a scented candle is usually a relaxing exercise, but at the Allen Park police headquarters it's a practice in self-preservation.
The candles are for protection from the odor caused by a roof so leaky the officers have propped up golf umbrellas and tarps. They've named their office space "hell."
It's not just the underlings. The chief's office has buckets lining the floor with ceiling tiles discolored and warped.
Allen Park's city administrator, Karen Folkes, asked the state to spend $2 million to fix the disaster. The state refused. She found that "extremely disappointing."
Meanwhile, the City Council finds Folkes extremely disappointing. They moved to oust her a few weeks ago. The state has kept her in place despite the complaints.
Still, the entire City Hall, including the flooded police department, will be moving into what was supposed to be the Allen Park movie studios.
Folkes likely will get six months of severance pay, which works out to just less than $50,000. The state of Michigan is backing the City Council's move to oust her.
Folkes said Thursday she is proud of the work she did. A councilman said he is happy to see her leave.