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.”
Regulation
Audio: Is There Really a Public Pension Crisis?
Short answer: Yes! But some—like government union leaders—deny that anything needs to be done or that there’s a crisis at all. The truth is, the consequences of inaction…
Media
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Insurers coming back for Obamacare
Topics on this page Affordable Care Act…
Media Hit
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Charter Schools Promote Segregation? Not So!
My letter to the editor in the Lehigh Valley Express Times refutes a claim that charter schools are promoting racial segregation: A recent article cites claims by…
Media
Read More: Charter Schools Promote Segregation? Not So!State Budget
PA House Takes Another Step To Reduce Debt
Every man, woman and child in Pennsylvania owes just over $10,000 in state and local debt. Today, the state House made another positive step towards reducing that debt burden.
Media
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LETTER: Charter schools similar to public schools in diversity
Media Hit
Read More: LETTER: Charter schools similar to public schools in diversityHealth Care
Solving Health Care Without Obamacare Headaches
Montana’s Rib and Chop House in the Pittsburgh area is taking an innovative approach to providing health care coverage to employees, in spite of Obamacare. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports…
Media
Read More: Solving Health Care Without Obamacare HeadachesState Budget
Audio: Taxpayer Protection Act Responsibly Limits Spending
Last week, legislation moved out of the Senate Finance Committee that would set guardrails on state government spending, establish a “Rainy Day Fund,” and, potentially, even send rebate checks back…
Media
Read More: Audio: Taxpayer Protection Act Responsibly Limits SpendingEducation
Teachers Sue PSEA in Landmark Case
Jane Ladley was a special education teacher in Chester County for more than 25 years until she retired this year. She may have left teaching, but she has a bone…
Media
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Corbett ad says Pa. media agree with him
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Read More: Corbett ad says Pa. media agree with him
Think tanks often have corporate agendas, not citizen agendas
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Read More: Think tanks often have corporate agendas, not citizen agendas
The gas is here, so too are the money and jobs
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Read More: The gas is here, so too are the money and jobs
Lancaster County teacher sues state’s largest teachers’ union
Topics on this page Lancaster County…
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More freedom would enable better education
Media Hit
Read More: More freedom would enable better educationTaxes & Economy
Safety Net Should be Reformed, not Renamed
Good news: Pennsylvania will no longer spend 40 percent of the general fund budget on public welfare. Instead, we’ll spend it on “human services.” Yesterday, the general assembly approved HB…
Media
Read More: Safety Net Should be Reformed, not RenamedState Budget
Treasurer Finally Accepts that Fiscal Restraint is Needed
We at the Commonwealth Foundation are pleased to welcome State Treasurer Rob McCord to the fight for fiscal restraint. McCord, along with Auditor General Eugene DePasquale, held a press conference…
Media
Read More: Treasurer Finally Accepts that Fiscal Restraint is NeededState Budget
Taxpayer Protection Act Shields Working Families
For Immediate Release Commonwealth Foundation Contact: 717-671-1901 Taxpayer Protection Act Shields Working Families Stimulates Job Growth and Provides Rebates for Working Families September 16, 2014, HARRISBURG, Pa.—Today,…
Press Release
Read More: Taxpayer Protection Act Shields Working FamiliesEducation
Overcoming the Philadelphia School Crisis
Think there's a problem with Philadelphia's schools? You're not alone. More than half of Philadelphia voters said their schools deserved a D or an F grade in a poll released…
Commentary
Read More: Overcoming the Philadelphia School CrisisPublic Union Democracy
Employees Lose Under PA’s Public Pension Systems
Most workers are shortchanged by Pennsylvania’s public employee pension programs, according to two recent studies. The Urban Institute gives Pennsylvania’s State Employees’ Retirement System (SERS) an “F”…
Media
Read More: Employees Lose Under PA’s Public Pension SystemsState Budget
The Taxpayer Protection Act
Due to 40 years of government overspending, state and local taxes now cost Pennsylvanians $4,374 per person, equaling 10.3% of resident’s total income. Pennsylvania currently has the 10th highest state and…
Fact Sheet
Read More: The Taxpayer Protection Act