Richard M. Kleid, a former president of the Palm Beach Town Council and former chairman of the town’s Planning and Zoning Commission, died on Thursday, September 25, at his Palm Beach home, surrounded by his family. He was 93 years old.
Mr. Kleid served as a Palm Beach Civic Association director since 2019.
He was a retired attorney and South End resident appointed by the council to serve on the zoning commission shortly after he and his late wife, Rhoda, moved to Palm Beach in 1997. He subsequently became the board’s chairman.
After five years on the commission, Mr. Kleid was elected a member of the council, where he served 13 years, two of them as its president.
Civic Association Chairman Michael Pucillo, who served alongside Mr. Kleid for six years on the council, called him a “true gentleman” and dedicated town servant.
“He was a very kind, considerate and thoughtful human being,” Pucillo said. “He was just a great colleague, always well prepared with an intelligent, thoughtful and well-considered analysis of everything we had to deal with.”
Mr. Kleid retired from the council in 2018. Following the death of Mrs. Kleid, his wife of 59 years, shortly thereafter, he returned to town service as a member of the zoning commission, serving until 2024.
Gail Coniglio held a council seat and later became mayor while Mr. Kleid was on the council. She then served with him again after he was reappointed to the zoning commission, where Coniglio is the chair.
“The respect I had for Dick Kleid runs very deep,” Coniglio said. “He was always thoughtful and well prepared and never had a knee-jerk reaction to any decision making. I trusted him as a true mentor.”
Coniglio recalled how, as a zoning commissioner, Mr. Kleid would painstakingly review the records of the board meetings and request corrections for all errors, including the smallest typo or grammatical detail, before they were officially adopted.
During Mr. Kleid’s years on the council, Rhoda Kleid attended every council meeting and kept a careful watch over the deliberations.
“He and Rhoda were a wonderful team,” Coniglio said.
Representing the Town of Palm Beach, Mr. Kleid negotiated a compromise with Donald Trump over the size and placement of an American flag at Mar-a-Lago, years before Trump would become president of the United States.
In addition to his service to the town and Civic Association, Mr. Kleid was a vice chairman and director of the Citizens’ Association of Palm Beach, a director of the Palm Beach Fellowship of Christians and Jews, a member of the Allocation Committee of the United Way, an alumni interviewer for Columbia College, and a volunteer attorney for the Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County, where he received the Emeritus award.
Last year, Mayor Danielle Moore and the council proclaimed October 8, 2024 as “Dick Kleid Day” in Palm Beach in recognition of Mr. Kleid’s 25 years of public service.
Moore, who was elected to three terms on the council before becoming mayor, recalled watching and listening to Mr. Kleid to learn the ropes during her first year on that board.
“Dick Kleid was always willing to share his knowledge with others and provide solid, consistent, excellent advice,” Moore said. “His leadership over the years can only be called exemplary.”
Mr. Kleid was a longtime employee of the JC Penney Company, where he served as its real estate counsel.
He was a member of Temple Emanu-el of Palm Beach.
Mr. Kleid was born in New York City, the son of Grace and Emanuel G. Kleid. He graduated from the Horace Mann School, Columbia College, Columbia Law School, and New York University Graduate School of Law.
In addition to his daughter, Susan Kleid of Denver and Vail, Colorado, Mr. Kleid is survived by many family members, dear friends and loved ones, including his companion of the last five years, Dr. Carmel Donovan Spamer of Palm Beach and New York.
A memorial service is planned for Mr. Kleid after his friends and colleagues have returned to Palm Beach, according to Susan Kleid.
Mary Robosson, CEO of the Civic Association, said Mr. Kleid will be sorely missed.
“He was a very kind man who cared deeply about the town, its residents and our community,” Robosson said.
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