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.”
Education
Doubling of Education Spending a Myth?
From 1996-97 to 2010-11, Pennsylvania public school spending increased 93.4 percent, according to state Department of Education data. Yet Rep. James Roebuck says this increase is a…
Media
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Would You Rather Kids Share Books, or Get Booked?
I’m writing right now from the road, specifically from the poorest city in America: Reading, Pennsylvania. Reading is one of the cities mentioned in today’s CF news release pointing…
Media
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GUEST COLUMN: EITC program could prevent Pa. families from being torn apart
Topics on this page Earned income tax creditPennsylvania…
Media Hit
Read More: GUEST COLUMN: EITC program could prevent Pa. families from being torn apartEducation
Kids 5 Times as Likely to Suffer Violence at Pa.’s Worst Schools
Pennsylvania’s worst schools don’t just compromise our children’s education and future success – they compromise our children’s safety. Kids attending Pennsylvania’s worst academically performing public schools are more than…
Media
Read More: Kids 5 Times as Likely to Suffer Violence at Pa.’s Worst SchoolsEducation
Research Finds Pa. Kids 5-times as Likely to Suffer Violence at Academically Failing Schools
Children attending Pennsylvania’s worst academically performing public schools are more than 5-times as likely to fall victim to acts of violent crime according to research released today by the…
Press Release
Read More: Research Finds Pa. Kids 5-times as Likely to Suffer Violence at Academically Failing SchoolsPublic Union Democracy
Unions Fight Flexible Funding
Gov. Corbett’s budget proposed combining five county human services programs into one flexible block grant. In the past, state legislation dictated how much counties could spend under each category, regardless…
Media
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Retiree health care costs are a hidden $17B pension bomb for Pa.
Topics on this page Pennsylvania…
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Medicaid expansion would cost Pa. $2B
Topics on this page Medicaid…
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Read More: Medicaid expansion would cost Pa. $2BEducation
2 Minutes Can Save Children
Meet Willie and Penny, two typical school students in Pennsylvania. Willie is a student from Philadelphia who attends one of the state’s worst violent, failing schools, where students are…
Media
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Supporters, opponents brace for health care ruling
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ACA Medicaid expansion would cost $2B through 2019
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Read More: ACA Medicaid expansion would cost $2B through 2019
Retiree health care costs are a hidden $17 billion pension bomb
Media Hit
Read More: Retiree health care costs are a hidden $17 billion pension bombCriminal Justice Reform
Corrections Reform: Don’t Fire Arrows Without Arrowheads
The Justice Reinvestment Initiative, commissioned by Gov. Tom Corbett and led by national corrections reform experts, generated broad bipartisan support for a reform package that will: Make the…
Media
Read More: Corrections Reform: Don’t Fire Arrows Without ArrowheadsEducation
How Much Would School Choice Proposal Save?
Reports from under the Capitol dome suggest an expansion of Pennsylvania’s successful Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) will be part…
Media
Read More: How Much Would School Choice Proposal Save?Regulation
Dailies Declare Defending Dukes of Distillation Dereliction of Duty
Declaring a dereliction of duty to delay disposal of the PLCB’s monopoly of manipulation, mediocrity, mismanagement and malfeasance, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review editorial team lambasted lawmakers, saying some stood as,…
Media
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The lack of action is not really a surprise
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Read More: The lack of action is not really a surpriseEducation
Opportunity Scholarships for Pennsylvania
A new proposal (HB 2468) would expand the existing EITC program while adding an additional category of scholarship organizations. Under HB 2468, the EITC limit would increase from $75 million…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Opportunity Scholarships for PennsylvaniaEducation
Attack on Charter Schools Shoddy and Misguided
School districts across Pennsylvania are in a budget crunch, due to a combination of overspending, ballooning pension costs and a loss of $1 billion in federal stimulus…
Media
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Lawmakers, businesses can rescue students now
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Read More: Lawmakers, businesses can rescue students nowRegulation
Who Will Help CF Save You Money?
Organizations that love to lobby for your tax dollars and special handouts for their special interests are posturing against Gov. Tom Corbett’s corporate welfare package to lure Shell’s new…
Media
Read More: Who Will Help CF Save You Money?