Dive Brief:

• Craig Cobb bought a house and 12 building lots in Leith, N.D.—pop. 23—and invited friends to come camp long-term on his land.
• Cobb is known for neo-Nazi views and is wanted in Canada on a hate-crime charge, and the town residents did not want to be outnumbered by a Cobb faction.
• The strategy for Mayor Ryan Schock and the town is to impose a building moratorium and create an ordinance that would require Cobb—or anyone else—to put in water and sewer systems that could be expensive.

Dive Insight:

Any regulation involves, potentially, a clash of values, though it's not usually as dramatic or pointed as this case or for a building ordinance to be the fulcrum of such a deep-rooted political disagreement. The mayor and an attorney say that having good water and treating sewage are just good practices, though no one except Cobb seems to be facing any expenses from a new ordinance. Cobb says he'll meet the rules if they are put in place, but also will sue in hopes of having town leaders sent to federal prison for violating his rights.