ABSTRACT
In the 1970s, in common with many of Virginia's smaller cities, Virginia City's population decreased a little but its density remained high, well over 2,000 persons per square mile. The degree of the contrast was striking since Virginia City is not large and the city is so much a part of the county and area-wide culture. Every case involving a policy issue of any scope in public administration is unique or has highly distinctive features, and the Virginia City-Oceanside County annexation-immunity case is illustrative of the principle. The County of Oceanside is venerable for its colonial tradition, large, and rural. However, the county subsequently learned through formal channels that the city council had directed the city manager to open negotiations with the county on the topic of a friendly annexation. In their initial meeting with the city negotiating team and the city council, the mediators explored the question of what role they would play in the negotiations.
