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.”
Taxes & Economy
Marcellus Shale 101 Presentation
Last week, I presented the case against a natural gas severance tax to a Penn State journalism class. Below is my presentation providing an overview of Marcellus Shale development…
Media
Read More: Marcellus Shale 101 Presentation
Some Pa. wine kiosks now will sell hard liquor
Media Hit
Read More: Some Pa. wine kiosks now will sell hard liquorEducation
Understanding Real vs. “Sticker Price” Tuition
A common misconception in debating higher education funding is that the posted rate of tuition, or “sticker price,” is what students actually pay. This is exemplified in a commentary…
Media
Read More: Understanding Real vs. “Sticker Price” TuitionEducation
School Choice Advancing in Indiana, Tennessee
While the Pennsylvania Senate continues to deliberate on Senate Bill 1, school choice is moving along in several other states as well. Last…
Media
Read More: School Choice Advancing in Indiana, Tennessee
Water main line breaks raise intensity concerns across state
Media Hit
Read More: Water main line breaks raise intensity concerns across state
Pa. Legislature might find some savings close to home
Topics on this page Pennsylvania…
Media Hit
Read More: Pa. Legislature might find some savings close to home
Diatribe on state stores, vouchers was uninformed
Media Hit
Read More: Diatribe on state stores, vouchers was uninformedTaxes & Economy
Earth Day Tribute to Fossil Fuels
Instead of planting a tree today, I’m celebrating earth day by honoring the human ingenuity that’s made this planet a better place to live. There’s no question that standards of…
Media
Read More: Earth Day Tribute to Fossil FuelsEducation
Provost Spins Unsuccessfully
I used to be one of those people who have Google Alerts set for their names. I’m not anymore, so it’s come to my attention only belatedly that on April…
Media
Read More: Provost Spins Unsuccessfully
Pennsylvania Education Spending
K-12 public education spending has dramatically increased in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania's education spending increased from $4 billion in 1980 to more than $25 billion in 2009—a 133% increase in per-student spending,…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Pennsylvania Education SpendingEducation
Taxpayers Can Double their “Return on Investment” on Higher Ed
Penn State’s provost Rodney Erickson tries to undercut Michael Poliakoff & Charles Mitchell in a recent op-ed. His concluding argument is that “out of every $1 invested in…
Media
Read More: Taxpayers Can Double their “Return on Investment” on Higher Ed
PLCB Perestroika Progressing
History has shown that institutions in the last throes of despotism will make superficial concessions and grandstanding calls for openness just to hold onto power. Apparently, our PLCB is…
Media
Read More: PLCB Perestroika ProgressingEducation
School Taxpayer Referendum & Property Tax Relief
Gov. Tom Corbett's FY 2011-12 budget proposal includes $63.6 billion in total operating spending—$27.3 billion in General Fund spending—a reduction of $3.3 billion from FY 2010-11. This budget restores overall…
Fact Sheet
Read More: School Taxpayer Referendum & Property Tax ReliefEducation
On Higher Ed, Will Legislators Choose the ObamaCare Approach?
This week in the Wall Street Journal, columnist William McGurn had an excellent piece on higher education (subscription required). He wrote mostly about federal policy—and on that point…
Media
Read More: On Higher Ed, Will Legislators Choose the ObamaCare Approach?
Vouchers lurk in public school’s fright lockers
Media Hit
Read More: Vouchers lurk in public school’s fright lockersEducation
The Really Devastating Thing Would Be a Tax Increase
My wife and I returned to Pennsylvania last year, and boy, are we feeling welcome right now. The warm fuzzies really took over earlier today when my wife called to…
Media
Read More: The Really Devastating Thing Would Be a Tax IncreaseGovernment Accountability
Atlas Shrugged: Part I Movie Reviews
Friday night, three CF staffers braved sold-out theaters to watch the much anticipated Atlas Shrugged movie, a film that was big on buzz and short on funds. The movie, like the…
Media
Read More: Atlas Shrugged: Part I Movie Reviews
Tax on Tag Tough to Take
From the “You can’t make this stuff up file,” nanny state legislators from New York have finally found a way to tax toughness by enacting a punitive tax…
Media
Read More: Tax on Tag Tough to Take