Development initiatives During his tenure on the Gaithersburg City Council, Spiegel supported
smart growth economic development projects, affordable housing, and green development. In February 2020, Spiegel expressed frustration with but ultimately voted in favor of a bill providing WRS Inc. with a 90-day extension to buy anchor properties at
Lakeforest Mall. He later voted to provide WRS Inc. with another 90-day extension in May 2020. In August 2020, Spiegel voted in favor of a maximum 12-month redevelopment moratorium on Lakeforest Mall, which he said would "prevent development from occurring that is not full-fledged to the best and highest use of the map designation area". In July 2020, Spiegel voted against a proposal prohibiting rent increases greater than 2.6 percent during the
COVID-19 pandemic, saying that he favored prohibiting all rent increases during the pandemic. In January 2022, he voted to extend renter protections until May 15, 2022. In February 2021, Spiegel voted for an amendment to the city's zoning bill that limited where
public housing could be built, which was criticized as something that could restrict affordable housing in the city. Spiegel defended the amendment from these criticisms, suggesting that it was "a bit backwards" to say it would undercut the goal of expanding affordable housing in Gaithersburg.
Electoral reform In 2013, Spiegel voted to allow write-in candidates to participate in city elections. He later voted in 2020 to eliminate write-ins from city elections. In January 2021, Spiegel voted against changes to the city's code of ethics that would require candidates for office to disclose
conflict of interests relevant to the city. In April 2022, he sought to block a state bill that would require local governments to adopt state-level lobbyist registration standards.
Social issues In February 2011, Spiegel said he supported legalizing
same-sex marriage in Maryland, saying it was "the right thing to do from an economic standpoint". In February 2020, Spiegel embraced criticism of
Flatiron Books's rollout of
American Dirt, a novel about a Mexican bookseller who is forced to flee as an illegal immigrant to the United States that was later criticized for perpetuating stereotypes about Latino immigrants, after the book was selected as part of Gaithersburg's citywide reading program. However, he warned city residents against "embracing any message of so-called
cancel culture". In June 2020, following the
murder of George Floyd, Spiegel requested a review of the city's monuments to determine and remove any
Confederate monuments in the Gaithersburg. Spiegel later supported renaming streets named after enslavers, including
Benjamin Gaither and Frederick A. Tschiffely, in the city.
Taxes In November 2018, Spiegel pushed for a state bill to allow Gaithersburg to levy hotel taxes at a rate of 2 percent. ==Personal life==