Longtime Palm Desert mayor, councilman Bob Spiegel dies
Former Palm Desert City Councilman and Mayor Bob Spiegel, who served behind the dais for 23 years, has died shortly after 11 PM Friday, according to Palm Desert City Councilwoman Jan Harnik.
Born and raised in Missouri, the U.S. Navy veteran moved to Palm Desert in the early 1980s when he was a vice president with the May Company.
Upon retiring, Spiegel was urged by then-councilman Roy Wilson to enter public service, and was eventually appointed to the city’s planning commission.
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Spiegel’s tenure on the city council began when he was appointed to fill a vacancy in 1993. He went on to win five subsequent elections for the same post, becoming the second longest serving council member, and also served as mayor — a position that rotates annually among council members.
Some of his accomplishments while in office include the creation of the city’s after-school program for students, his key roles in the creation of the city’s Facade Enhancement and Community Gardens programs and his successful efforts to bring movie screenings and U.S. Navy Band concerts to Civic Center Park.
“He had a passion for Palm Desert and had a passion for service. He loved Palm Desert and he recognized the role Palm Desert played to the entire region,” Harnik said.
Spiegel was also known for his sense of humor as former Indian Wells mayor Richard Oliphant attested.
“He has sort of a left hand sense of humor but made everybody laugh. Took a lot of the tension out of the discussions that we had that were tense,” he said.
He retired from the city council in December of 2016.
Spiegel is survived by his wife, Sharon Spiegel, their three children, and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
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