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.”
Pa. internal budget guidelines warn of cost increases, declining federal dollars
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For Allentown, arena is all reward, no risk
Topics on this page Allentown…
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Counties Clamor to Qualify for Flexible Funding
Thirty counties have applied for slots in the Department of Public Welfare’s Human Services County Block Grant pilot program. Unfortunately, the pilot program was limited to 20 counties. The…
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Read More: Counties Clamor to Qualify for Flexible FundingState Budget
Four Alarms Reverberate in Corbett Memo
A recent memo from Gov. Corbett to all state agencies offers budget-saving tips, reminding officials that Pennsylvania faces a four alarm fiscal fire. PA Independent has…
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Read More: Four Alarms Reverberate in Corbett MemoEducation
Opportunity Scholarships a “Choice for a Better Future”
This week, the Times-Herald of Montgomery County published my letter to the editor on underperforming schools and why Pennsylvania’s new opportunity scholarships matter: In “Norristown School…
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Read More: Opportunity Scholarships a “Choice for a Better Future”Taxes & Economy
Pittsburgh Transit Bailout Railroads Taxpayers
PA Independent reports that Pennsylvania state taxpayers will give $30 million to the Port Authority of Allegheny County to entice the local union to sign a contract: Pittsburgh’s…
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Booze Bosses Busted?
The unethical behavior of top Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board executives, including “CEO” Joe Conti, has landed the Kings of Cabernet under investigation by the state Ethics Commission. The…
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Fix Welfare to Protect Poor, Save Taxpayers
Despite prevalent evidence showing the current welfare system does irreparable harm by trapping families and children in a cycle of poverty, presumptive Republican vice-presidential nominee Rep. Paul Ryan's plan to…
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Raising Taxes on “the Rich,” And Everybody Else Too
Bernard Hinault, five-time cycling champion of the Tour de France, once grumbled that the French government taxed the rich so heavily, the state had claim to three pumps of…
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Hundreds of Pa. Schools Taking Opportunity Scholarships
Since our last update on the new Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (OSTC) program, the Pa. Department of Education and Department of Community and Economic Development have compiled additional information…
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Union Leaders Misrepresent Pension Reforms
CF Senior Fellow Rick Dreyfuss testified yesterday before the Pennsylvania House about how to make our public pensions current, affordable and predictable, proposing a five-step plan for doing…
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Keep Tuition Affordable Legislative Package
Testimony of Nathan A. Benefield to Pennsylvania House State Government Committee, August 15, 2012 Good morning, my name is Nathan Benefield; I am the director of policy analysis for the…
Testimony
Read More: Keep Tuition Affordable Legislative PackageWelfare
Welfare Without Work Fails
The Obama administration recently relaxed welfare to work requirements, arguing it will help the truly needy. In contrast, Pennsylvania lawmakers took an opposite step by including new welfare work requirements…
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Union Allowed to Stalk in Pennsylvania
A new report from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce highlights special state laws governing labor unions. For example, four states, including Pennsylvania, have anti-stalking laws, but exempt labor unions…
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ACA a Boon to Special Interests
Tim Carney continues to highlight the role special interests— including the largest players in the health care industry—played in crafting the socalled Affordable Care Act, dispelling the myth that…
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Pizza, Burgers and Health Care Reform
The devastating side effects of the Affordable Care Act are multiplying every day. It’s not uncommon to hear that premiums are rising, about 7 percent next year, according to the…
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Read More: Pizza, Burgers and Health Care ReformGovernment Accountability
Czars of Zinfandel Pour More Down Drain
Need some Zeppelin with your zinfandel, Coldplay with your chardonnay or Seger with your Seagrams? Well, wait no more music and driving fans, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board has a…
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State pension reforms to get first vetting Tuesday
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No More Solyndras in Pa.’s Future?
Pennsylvania Independent’s Melissa Daniels writes that corporate welfare programs to benefit solar companies are on their way out in Pennsylvania, saving consumers more than $100 million. Two major state…
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