Usually if you're good at negotiating you argue for more than you want. You don't start your negotiation at the bare minimum. You start by ask for way more than you want. Your opponent does the same. This give the illusion that you really played ball and gave up a lot when you didn't.

It's a way to save face and surrender without looking like it. Most business and dealmakers do it this way. But people see it and are duped every time. That wasn't what either side was aiming for. Maricopa knew they'd couldn't win this and wanted a way to save face. And the Arizona Senate put demands on the table that it never really needed so that they could "pretend" to give them up.That's how dealmaking is done.

The deal was already worked out long before. Maricopa's surrender was already decided based on could they win? No. Ok let's negotiate the surrender terms)

Many work out the deal out of the public eye and work out what will and will not be revealed to the public. The deal is worked out in advance. The rest is just show.