Erik Telford

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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.” 

Public Union Democracy

Is This What Democracy Looks Like?

  • September 15, 2014

An astounding 93 percent of union members had no role in choosing the union currently representing them, according to a new report authored by Dr. Daniel DiSalvo of the…

Media

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Education

Rendell’s Legacy Handcuffs Schools

  • James Paul
  • September 12, 2014

Former Governor Ed Rendell wrote to the Philadelphia Inquirer and took issue with our policy points on Philadelphia school trends. The Inquirer…

Media

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Regulation

Audio: Is Selling Liquor a Core Function of Government?

  • September 12, 2014

Is it government’s job to monopolize a service that private enterprise can easily provide? Matt Brouillette says no—and Pennsylvania’s state-run liquor monopoly is a prime example of why government should…

Media

Read More: Audio: Is Selling Liquor a Core Function of Government?

Education

Ten Thousand Lifeboats

  • September 11, 2014

In 2001, Pennsylvania became the first state in the nation to enact an education tax credit aimed at corporations. Since then, the popular Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) program has…

Fact Sheet

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Education

Misconceptions Cloud School Funding Debate

  • Nathan Benefield
  • September 9, 2014

Would you believe that nearly three-quarters of Pennsylvania’s voters underestimate how much money we spend on schools? Shocking but true, according to a new poll testing the public’s knowledge of…

Commentary

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Education

Union Executives “Neutral” on Protecting Children

  • James Paul
  • September 5, 2014

Legislation to protect children from predators in the classroom has stalled in Harrisburg. Union executives are standing in the way. Currently, teachers who sexually abuse or have…

Media

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Regulation

Monopolizing Success

  • September 4, 2014

Is it time to wave the white flag on liquor privatization? After all, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) reported record revenue and transfers to the state’s General Fund…

Media

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