Upset by criticism of city council members — including his wife — Corona Chamber of Commerce leader Bobby Spiegel challenged critics “to come outside” and ordered them not to “talk to my wife that way.”

The comments by Spiegel, the chamber’s CEO and president, came at Wednesday night’s council meeting. From the dais, Mayor Karen Spiegel, interrupted her husband, called out his name and told him “enough.”

“I’m very embarrassed over some of the citizens that have shown such disrespect to fellow human beings,” Bobby Spiegel said.

“And if any of you want to see me, come outside,” he said, turning to the audience. “OK, that’s not a threat. That is a promise. You do not talk to my wife that way.”

Bobby Spiegel’s self-described “outburst,” for which he apologized at the end of his public comments, came after some residents expressed concerns about a proposed grade separation project on McKinley Street. City officials say the work aims to solve traffic and safety problems on McKinley, near the railroad crossing at Sampson Avenue, south of the 91 Freeway.

During the meeting, residents alleged the project would hurt businesses in the area, depress property values and allow the KPC Group to buy some of the land.

Jeff Corless, a spokesman for the Riverside-based KPC, said in a statement the company has not determined its course because the project is still pending.

Karen Spiegel is mayor of Corona.

Bobby Spiegel is CEO/president of the Corona Chamber of Commerce. Courtesy photo

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Reached by phone Thursday, Bobby Spiegel again said he was sorry.

“I was not professional in what I did and what I said and for that I apologize.”

In response to her husband’s comments, Karen Spiegel said Thursday, “I really don’t know what to say.”

She said there’s been a “major trust issue” between the council and the public and that it’s been difficult for the two parties to communicate over the past few months.

“It seems that whatever is said by the council is pushed back,” she said. “There seems to be an escalating of emotions that occur at these meetings.”

An effort to recall three Corona City Council members, including Karen Spiegel, recently failed. One of the issues was the McKinley project.

Corona resident Beth Halbrook said she saw Bobby Spiegel’s remarks while watching a live-stream of the meeting from home.

“He was inappropriate,” she said. “How disrespectful to the citizens to basically publicly say, ‘Come on, I’ll meet you outside.'”

Halbrook said she believes Spiegel realized he made a mistake but said it was “a mistake the city can’t afford.”

“It was a threat,” she said. “I just felt like as a public figure representing our city to businesses and trying to recruit businesses to our city, that was horrible.”

The grade separation project is still in its infancy.

Nelson Nelson, public works director and city engineer, said traffic in the area is congested and will likely get worse because of a future increase in the length and frequency of trains.

The council has authorized the city to prepare to seek proposals for concepts to build a road over the railroad tracks.

The council needs to authorize a contract for a design firm and approve a construction contract before work could begin, Nelson said.

“If we’re lucky, construction will start in 2020,” he said.