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

5 Must-Know Facts About Health Care Exchanges

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • November 26, 2012

The election has been settled, but the future of the Affordable Care Act is far from it, as decisions are now in the hands of governors and state lawmakers. One…

Media

Read More: 5 Must-Know Facts About Health Care Exchanges

Regulation

Film Credits More Blooper Reel than Blockbuster

  • Nathan Benefield
  • November 21, 2012

Film industry lobbyists are renewing calls for more corporate welfare for the film industry, through expansion of Pennsylvania’s Film Tax Credit.  As we’ve noted time and…

Media

Read More: Film Credits More Blooper Reel than Blockbuster

Are You a Teacher Like Steve?

  • November 21, 2012

We believe there are thousands of amazing teachers in Pennsylvania just like Steve Calabro. His story isn’t at all unique. In traditional and cyber public schools, professional educators are living…

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Read More: Are You a Teacher Like Steve?

State Budget

Federal Funds Aren’t “Free”

  • Nathan Benefield
  • November 20, 2012

There’s no such thing as a free lunch—meaning everything in life, including government programs, must be paid for.  Unfortunately, many advocates of government health insurance expansion explain the Affordable…

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Read More: Federal Funds Aren’t “Free”

Education

More Strikes, More Staff, No Solution

  • Priya Brannick
  • November 19, 2012

If you thought the Chicago teacher strike was bad—spawning strikes elsewhere in Illinois—you should take a look at Pennsylvania. Mother Jones has compiled a fascinating map of teacher strikes…

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Read More: More Strikes, More Staff, No Solution

Regulation

Pennsylvania’s Tax Burden Ranks 10th (Again), but Pension Bomb Ticking

  • Priya Brannick
  • November 16, 2012

Last week, America kept its president and Congress, and Pennsylvania’s legislature stayed largely the same too. There’s another thing that Pennsylvanians can count on—ranking 10th in the United States for…

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Read More: Pennsylvania’s Tax Burden Ranks 10th (Again), but Pension Bomb Ticking

Public Union Democracy

Stones to Take on Goliath

  • Nathan Benefield
  • November 13, 2012

My friend Jon Caldara of our sister think-tank in Colorado eloquently and humorously offers an important lesson from the election—the results stem not from a short-term campaign, but from…

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Read More: Stones to Take on Goliath