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.”
Committee Votes to Spend Smarter
Earlier this week, the House State Government Committee voted to tackle Pennsylvania’s spending problem. The committee advanced two pieces of legislation—HB 110 and HB 410. Both bills are…
Media
Read More: Committee Votes to Spend SmarterPublic Union Democracy
Op-Ed: Time to End Special-Interest Loophole
Subverting public resources for political gain will not be tolerated. Except when it is. Pennsylvania government regularly collects and distributes tens of millions of dollars earmarked for politics on behalf of…
Commentary
Read More: Op-Ed: Time to End Special-Interest LoopholeHealth Care
7 Ways to Fix Health Care on the 7th Anniversary of Obamacare
Seven years ago, Obamacare became the law of the land. Later today, the US House is scheduled to vote on a controversial repeal and replace bill. While the outcome in Washington…
Media
Read More: 7 Ways to Fix Health Care on the 7th Anniversary of ObamacareRegulation
Senate Prepares New Pension Reform Bill
The state Senate is preparing to introduce a pension reform bill nearly identical to the compromise bill that fell three House votes short last fall. Senator Pat Browne and Majority…
Media
Read More: Senate Prepares New Pension Reform BillEducation
Teachers’ Unions Dwarf School Choice Spending
When it comes to education, government union leaders are Pennsylvania’s top political spender. No contest. We recently highlighted how government unions, outspoken proponents of a severance tax, far outspend…
Media
Read More: Teachers’ Unions Dwarf School Choice SpendingEducation
News Release: House Expands Popular Tax Credit Scholarship Programs
Thousands More Students Could Attend Schools of Choice March 13, 2017, Harrisburg, Pa.—Today, the Pennsylvania House voted to extend the state’s popular tax credit scholarship programs to thousands…
Press Release
Read More: News Release: House Expands Popular Tax Credit Scholarship ProgramsPublic Union Democracy
Send Your Message: Paycheck Protection
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Media
Read More: Send Your Message: Paycheck ProtectionHealth Care
Policy Points: After ObamaCare
Obamacare increased the number of people holding insurance cards but failed to increase access to quality and affordable health services. It’s time to put patients, not government bureaucrats, in charge…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Policy Points: After ObamaCareGovernment Accountability
Reviving the Push for Transparency
Taxpayers scored a victory last year with the passage of Senate Bill 644 (now Act 15). The new law requires the Independent Fiscal Office (IFO) to provide cost…
Media
Read More: Reviving the Push for TransparencyEducation
The Cost of Pennsylvania’s Pension Crisis
In recent Appropriation Committee hearings, Pennsylvania’s two statewide pension funds (PSERS and SERS) reported $62.2 billion in unfunded liabilities (or debt) that taxpayers must pay. This number—which assumes…
Media
Read More: The Cost of Pennsylvania’s Pension CrisisHealth Care
Obamacare: Say No to Status Quo
A recent WSJ/NBC poll shows almost everyone supports reforming Obamacare. Only 4% think Obamacare is working well as is. A majority (52%) think it needs a major overhaul or…
Media
Read More: Obamacare: Say No to Status QuoRegulation
Protect Students, Not Subsidies
Gov. Wolf’s request to reduce tax credits by $100 million is causing a stir in the legislature. According to a Capitolwire story (paywall), Republicans raised objections on several fronts,…
Media
Read More: Protect Students, Not SubsidiesRegulation
Policy Memo: The Downside of Raising the Minimum Wage
In February, Gov. Wolf proposed raising the minimum wage from $7.25 to $12, claiming a higher minimum wage will raise revenue, reduce welfare participation and spur job growth. These claims are…
Memo
Read More: Policy Memo: The Downside of Raising the Minimum WageEducation
Expanding School Choice is Vital to Pa. Children
It's nearly impossible to overstate the significance of Pennsylvania's private school scholarship programs. The Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) and Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (OSTC) have created more than 500,000…
Media
Read More: Expanding School Choice is Vital to Pa. ChildrenPublic Union Democracy
Debunking Union Leaders’ Paycheck Protection Myths
It’s been said death and taxes are life’s only two certainties. Here’s a third: government union leaders’ continual misrepresentation of paycheck protection. For example, recently, the Philadelphia Federation of…
Media
Read More: Debunking Union Leaders’ Paycheck Protection MythsRegulation
Pennsylvania Deficit Watch: March 2017
February proved to be another poor month for revenue collections. For the fourth straight month—and now seven of the last eight—collections fell short of official estimates from the the Pennsylvania Department of…
Media
Read More: Pennsylvania Deficit Watch: March 2017Public Union Democracy
Dues-Funded Politics: Why We Need Paycheck Protection
Pennsylvania’s government union leaders are political heavyweights. As we documented in our recent analysis, their political spending far surpasses industry competitors—and relies on…
Media
Read More: Dues-Funded Politics: Why We Need Paycheck ProtectionEducation
Op-Ed: Is the Sky Falling on Children’s Education?
In the aftermath of Betsy DeVos’s confirmation as Secretary of Education, opponents predict she could decimate public education. Their perspective is misguided, unsupported by facts, and ultimately harmful for the future…
Commentary
Read More: Op-Ed: Is the Sky Falling on Children’s Education?Taxes & Economy
What the Soda Tax Can Teach us About the Budget
The high costs of Philadelphia's soda tax are mounting by the week. The Philadelphia Inquirer is reporting a 30-50 percent drop in beverage sales for some supermarkets and distributors.
Media
Read More: What the Soda Tax Can Teach us About the BudgetHealth Care
Double-Down on Reinventing Government
Imagine if Stephen King had written Green Eggs and Ham. What if Dr. Seuss had penned The Shining? Gov. Wolf’s third budget address was an equally disorienting shift in tone…
Media
Read More: Double-Down on Reinventing GovernmentEducation
Breaking: Charters Receive Funding to Educate Students
Advocacy group Education Voters of PA—notorious critics of parental choice and defenders of a one-size-fits-all education system—made a few…
Media
Read More: Breaking: Charters Receive Funding to Educate Students