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.”
Regulation
Pennsylvania Pols Pass Potent Potables Perestroika
Today, the Pennsylvania House amended HB 11 and then sent it on to the full house for consideration. The first amendment guts any privatization of the Pennsylvania Liquor Control…
Media
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WTF! Why the Failure?
In a move requiring mental gymnastics that would make even Nadia Comaneci pack it in, some Pennsylvania House members are praising an “historic” liquor privatization bill that cleared…
Media
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Charter School Reform
Pennsylvania charter school enrollment grew from 982 students in 1997 to 91,000 in 2010, as more parents exercised choice in their children's education. On average, charter schools receive and spend…
Fact Sheet
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The Cost of Pennsylvania’s Education Failures
Lawmakers are considering providing school choice to low-income children trapped in violent and failing schools. While some lawmakers are concerned about the cost of school vouchers, the cost of educational…
Fact Sheet
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PLCB Must End Costly Mission Conflict
Sadly, a recent Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board campaign sent just the opposite message to women across the state. The PLCB launched an ad campaign and Web site called Control Tonight to warn of the…
Commentary
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Ode to Joy – A Concert of Hope
Why school choice? Listen to mother, Joy Herbert, explain why it’s really her only hope. …
Media
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New Study Show Impact of Shale Gas
Hot on the heels of UGI Utilities’ 13 percent reduction in gas rates, comes a comprehensive study examining the impact of shale gas on the economy nationwide. The report…
Media
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How Much Will Obamacare Cost You?
The federal health care overhaul will be paid for with spending cuts and an estimated $420 billion in new taxes. How much of that $420 billion will come out of your pocket?…
Media
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Patriot News (Mostly) Endorses School Choice
This week, the Patriot News editorial board wrote an endorsement of a school voucher proposal in Pennsylvania. Here is the key pro argument: The case for vouchers is…
Media
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PLCB Called on to Stop Wine and Spirits Advertising
The Commonwealth Foundation called for an immediate halt today by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board of taxpayer-funded advertising that promotes the sale of wine and spirits by the government-run monopoly.
Press Release
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A Word on Hellholes
As I got in the car yesterday to begin a very long drive home from Pike County, I learned of a letter Sen. Vincent Hughes had sent requesting that I…
Media
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PLCB Rape Ad Illustrates Conflict of Interest
Like a pyromaniac preaching fire prevention, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board is at war with itself in a costly conflict of interest that sees the agency wasting tax dollars. On…
Media
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School Choice in Pa. is Cure for Disaster
An excellent commentary by Jeanne Allen in the Delaware County Times sums up the case for school choice and the empirical evidence: Pennsylvania’s neighbors have led by example…
Media
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Hughes’ Views Confused
Late last night, Sen. Vincent Hughes released to the media a public admonishment of the Commonwealth Foundation and our Vice-President and CEO Charles Mitchell. Topics on this page…
Media
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Four of Five Philadelphia Students Not Proficient in Reading or Math
Yesterday, the National Center for Education Statistics (part of the U.S. Department of Education) released district perfomance data on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). This is part…
Media
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Are School Vouchers Constitutional in Pennsylvania?
Several attacks on school choice claim that using state funds for vouchers that might go to private schools is unconstitutional. Here are some facts and legal analysis on that issue.
Media
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Hughes’ Boos a Ruse
In the absence of facts and any plausible excuse for poor performance, it’s always a good time to attack the messenger. As if on cue, this well-worn strategy was trotted…
Media
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Lorenzo’s Boil: Why Father Not PSEA Knows Best
It’s just over 24 hours ago that children and parents trapped in failing and violent Pennsylvania schools delivered to Harrisburg lawmakers 4,300 messages of urgency and hope. Among the messengers was Lorenzo…
Media
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Educrats Fight for System Not Kids, Taxpayers
The Sharon Herald posted an article Sunday about anti-voucher signs popping up around the Sharon, Sharpsville and Greenville areas in Mercer County. I’ve seen these signs in Western Pa.
Media
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PSEA Ignores Children’s Cries for Help, Facts
Following the Commonwealth Foundation’s press conference with legislators highlighting how one violent act occurs every 17 minutes in Pennsylvania’s worst-performing schools, the Pennsylvania State Education Association retorted: “In…
Media
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