Bethlehem Rally Demands Trump to Produce Tax Returns

Barbara and Dr. Steve Diamond

About 300 people, most from the Lehigh Valley, rallied at Bethlehem's Payrow Plaza on Saturday afternoon, demanding that Donald Trump produce his tax returns. After a long winter, people were in a festive mood and brought numerous hand-made signs as well as a Donald Trump caricature. Barbara Diamond was dressed as Lady Liberty and her husband, Dr. Steve Diamond, was festooned as Uncle Sam.

It was a very partisan crowd, as might be expected at a rally organized by the Bethlehem City Democratic Committee. Chair Clyde Thomas had hardly begun speaking when an elderly lady interrupted him to shout, "You got to get the corporate Dems, too."

Two Trump supporters who may have intended to visit the library attempted to disrupt the rally, but gave up after a few minutes.

The headliners at this event were NorCo Controller Steve Barron and Bethlehem  Attorney Lamont McClure, who is running for NorCo Executive against GOP incumbent John Brown.

Lamont McClure

Barron is incensed at the proposal to eliminate federal funding for needed human services like Meals on Wheels.

McClure brought the message home.

"Where you liver here in Northampton County, we are dominated by a republican Executive and a Republican majority who care more about reimbursing themselves with your money for their lunches, that they're not entitled to; for their travel, which they're not entitled to; and for taking lavish trips, which they're not entitled to.

"While they're wasting millions of your dollars on consultants to do the work that they were elected to do, they're also raising your property taxes because they mismanaged the county government.

"It's time to stop the corruption, the cronyism and the callousness of the Brown administration.

"Now what's the point of today's rally?  It's about tax returns and why do we want to see tax returns? We want to see the tax returns because of the very public value of transparency. You need to know what your public official's motivations are.

"Well in Northampton County, we have a County Executive who behaves like he should be in Washington right now.He's the least transparent Executive in Northampton County history, and I'm going to give you one dramatic example.

"A few years ago, he had a press conference, but he posted armed guards at the door so that people who did not agree with him would not be admitted to the press conference.

"This is the opposite of transparency.,and this is your current County Executive.

"We must do better than that."