Erik Telford
Senior Vice President of Public Affairs
Erik Telford is the Senior Vice President of Public Affairs at the Commonwealth Foundation.
Erik is a senior public affairs and communications executive with more than 15 years of diverse experience across public policy, advocacy, and public affairs institutions. Before joining the Commonwealth Foundation, Erik served as the senior vice president at Stand Together Communications, the Koch network’s marketing and communications capability. Erik has also served as the president of the Franklin Center for Government & Public Integrity, a state-based watchdog journalism organization. And at Americans for Prosperity, he was the executive director of RightOnline (an initiative he founded) and the director of membership and online strategy. He is currently on the board of the American Commitment Foundation.
In 2013, Campaigns & Elections Magazine honored Erik as an “Advocacy Innovator” and in 2011 as a “Rising Star in American Politics.” Politics Online named him one of the “Top 10 Who Are Changing the World of Internet and Politics.”
Restoring Integrity to an Unfair System
Commentary
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Pennsylvanians Need Permission to Work
Great news! Pennsylvania has the least burdensome licensing laws in the nation. The bad news? Pennsylvania frequently licensees occupations that are not licensed by other states. Want to be a…
Media
Read More: Pennsylvanians Need Permission to WorkGovernment Accountability
A Step Towards Smarter Spending
The governor and state lawmakers are taking a step towards tackling our spending problem. On Tuesday a bicameral group of state lawmakers introduced a zero-based budgeting bill. This proposal would…
Media
Read More: A Step Towards Smarter SpendingState Budget
Promising Budget Reforms on the Horizon
Pennsylvania’s latest budget impasse exposed a dysfunctional state budget process. Several members of the House of Representatives have introduced a package of reforms to correct the myriad of problems contributing to…
Media
Read More: Promising Budget Reforms on the HorizonState Budget
PA’s Fiscal Predicament in 5 Charts
Pennsylvania is in poor financial shape and staring down a consequential demographic shift. Check out the 5 charts below for more on the challenges facing our state and the…
Media
Read More: PA’s Fiscal Predicament in 5 ChartsPublic Union Democracy
Political Privileges Create an Unfair and Unequal Society
In Pennsylvania, government unions enjoy a wealth of legal and political privileges not awarded to other organizations. Here are just a few: Government unions negotiate collective bargaining agreements with the…
Media
Read More: Political Privileges Create an Unfair and Unequal SocietyPublic Union Democracy
Why Government Should Not Play with Politics
Government should never collect campaign contributions. House committee members agreed yesterday, passing legislation (SB 166 and HB 1174) that stops the taxpayer-funded collection of campaign contributions for government…
Media
Read More: Why Government Should Not Play with PoliticsPublic Union Democracy
State House Committee Votes to Protect Public Resources
Today, the House State Government Committee passed legislation that protects public resources, a good government reform prioritizing ethics over political privilege. The first piece of legislation, SB 166, prohibits…
Media
Read More: State House Committee Votes to Protect Public ResourcesPublic Union Democracy
Ending Taxpayer-Funded Collection of Campaign Contributions
The House State Government Committee recently advanced SB 166, which restores integrity to an unfair system by stopping taxpayer-funded collection and distribution of campaign contributions for any entity. We explain…
Memo
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Guest Blog: The Hidden Cost of Tax Complexity
Editor’s Note: This is the first of a series of occasional blogs by a Philadelphia resident highlighting policy problems holding back the City of Brotherly Love. As a Philadelphia…
Media
Read More: Guest Blog: The Hidden Cost of Tax ComplexityEducation
Philly’s School Reform Commission Ends, Questions Abound for Residents & Taxpayers
The Philadelphia School Reform Commission has voted to dissolve itself. The 16-year experiment has been a mixed bag. The school district continues to face tough financial times with a looming…
Media
Read More: Philly’s School Reform Commission Ends, Questions Abound for Residents & TaxpayersState Budget
New Budget Report Demands Urgent Action
By 2023, the state deficit could reach more than $2 billion. By 2030, Pennsylvania will have just 2.4 workers for every 1 person of retirement age. These were some of the most…
Media
Read More: New Budget Report Demands Urgent ActionRegulation
PLCB Borrowing Panned, Time to Privatize
There hasn’t been much to praise in this year’s budget battles. However, the governor’s announcement that he won’t try to borrow $1.25 billion against Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB)…
Media
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PA’s Poor Budget Report Card
Pennsylvania’s 2017 budget is finally complete, but Pennsylvania’s fiscal house is in disarray. The Volcker Alliance, an organization which seeks to “improve the administration of government at all levels,” recently…
Media
Read More: PA’s Poor Budget Report CardState Budget
Pennsylvania’s Sin Tax Addiction
Pennsylvania’s excess of excise—or so-called “sin”—taxes was the subject of a recent story in The Philadelphia Inquirer. The piece focused on the amount working people pay in taxes on…
Media
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The 2017-18 Budget Comes to an End: Here’s What You Need to Know
Pennsylvania’s four-month budget battle has come to an end, thanks to an assortment of targeted tax hikes and fee increases along with borrowing and one-time transfers. Unfortunately, lawmakers and the…
Commentary
Read More: The 2017-18 Budget Comes to an End: Here’s What You Need to Know
The 2017-18 Budget Comes to an End: Here’s What You Need to Know
Pennsylvania’s four-month budget battle has come to an end, thanks to an assortment of targeted tax hikes and fee increases along with borrowing and one-time transfers. Unfortunately, lawmakers and the…
Commentary
Read More: The 2017-18 Budget Comes to an End: Here’s What You Need to Know
Remembering Mr. Anton
I first met Fred Anton in 2002 when I was appointed president of the Commonwealth Foundation. I knew him as Mr. Anton then, and I called him Mr. Anton for…
Commentary
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Remembering Mr. Anton
I first met Fred Anton in 2002 when I was appointed president of the Commonwealth Foundation. I knew him as Mr. Anton then, and I called him Mr. Anton for…
Commentary
Read More: Remembering Mr. Anton
Liquor Store Loan? Don’t Bank on It
Have your trips to the liquor store been leaving your wallet a little lighter? That’s because the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, the agency behind our state-run liquor system, recently raised…
Commentary
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Liquor Store Loan? Don’t Bank on It
Have your trips to the liquor store been leaving your wallet a little lighter? That’s because the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, the agency behind our state-run liquor system, recently raised…
Commentary
Read More: Liquor Store Loan? Don’t Bank on It