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.” 

Health Care

Medicaid Expansion Fails Poor, Taxpayers

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • June 21, 2013

Medicaid is a failed program that shouldn’t be expanded without reform. That was the message of yesterday’s House Health Committee hearing on Medicaid expansion. In contrast to House Human Services…

Media

Read More: Medicaid Expansion Fails Poor, Taxpayers

Health Care

Budget Could Transform Pa., For Good or Ill

  • Nathan Benefield
  • June 21, 2013

About one week remains for lawmakers to finalize a state budget. But along with a spending plan, a number of major policy reforms remain in the mix. The outcomes of…

Media

Read More: Budget Could Transform Pa., For Good or Ill

Public Union Democracy

Budget Opens Door for Prevailing Wage Reform

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • June 20, 2013

Before taxpayers are asked to give more for Pennsylvania’s transportation needs, are current transportation tax dollars being spent wisely? That’s the question several lawmakers are asking, as time winds down…

Media

Read More: Budget Opens Door for Prevailing Wage Reform

Public Union Democracy

Nation Laughs at Pennsylvania

  • Nathan Benefield
  • June 20, 2013

The state government liquor store union is once again running ads showing a young girl at a funeral mourning a parent killed by a drunk driver, then claiming this will…

Media

Read More: Nation Laughs at Pennsylvania

Regulation

Pension Reform Bill on the Move

  • Matthew Brouillette
  • June 19, 2013

We applaud the Senate Finance Committee for moving meaningful pension reform legislation. The Committee advanced SB 922 to put all new state and school district employees into a defined…

Media

Read More: Pension Reform Bill on the Move

Regulation

Senate Liquor Proposal Falls Short

  • June 19, 2013

Senate Liquor Proposal Falls Short Harrisburg, PA – Matthew J. Brouillette, president and CEO of the Commonwealth Foundation, issued a response to Sen. McIlhinney’s liquor reform proposal: Pennsylvanians are demanding…

Press Release

Read More: Senate Liquor Proposal Falls Short

Regulation

Podcast: Fixing Public Pensions

  • Nathan Benefield
  • June 19, 2013

Two new BOX Program podcasts offer illuminating insight into our public pension crisis and how lawmakers can help fix the broken system. First, Matt talks with former Utah State…

Media

Read More: Podcast: Fixing Public Pensions

Regulation

Senate Liquor “Reform” Falls Short

  • Matthew Brouillette
  • June 18, 2013

This afternoon, Sen. Chuck McIlhinney introduced his liquor “reform” plan which falls short in delivering the convenience, selection, and pricing that Pennsylvanians demand. His proposal, which keeps the state-owned and…

Media

Read More: Senate Liquor “Reform” Falls Short

Regulation

Get Rid of the Government Middleman

  • June 18, 2013

If lower prices and greater selection are what you’re looking for, you won’t get it unless the government privatizes retail and wholesale operations. If the PLCB maintains its monopoly on…

Commentary

Read More: Get Rid of the Government Middleman

Regulation

Red Carpets Trip Up Real Tax Reform

  • June 18, 2013

When Rocky Balboa triumphantly climbed the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum in the 1976 blockbuster film Rocky, he did it without a special government handout.  But now Hollywood lobbyists…

Media

Read More: Red Carpets Trip Up Real Tax Reform