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.”
Franklin County business projects got $33.9M during Rendell’s 8 years as governor
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PSBA’s Web of Lies on School Vouchers
The Pennsylvania School Boards Association (PSBA), in a desperate attempt to preserve the status quo in education, has launched a new portal, VoucherWatch. Of the many pieces of misinformation…
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To These People, Gov. Corbett’s “C” Word Is an Epithet
Well. It sounds like the media and the educational establishment interpreted Gov. Tom Corbett’s inaugural address the same way I did. Since his inauguration, there has been a bunch…
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Sony Site: Merely Renting Jobs with Corporate Welfare
Last week, the state gave $10 million to rehabilitate the former site of a Sony plant—marking the fourth time taxpayer funding has been used to “create jobs” at the exact…
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Fixing Rendell’s Mess
Penn's Woods are darker and deeper in red ink than ever before thanks to the tax-borrow-and-spend agenda of the Rendell Administration and some General Assembly members who failed to put…
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What State Legislators Can Do to Protect Health Care Freedom
ALEC’s new State Legislators Guide to Repealing Obamacare is a wealth of ideas for state legislators and in turn, activists who are dedicated to implementing true healthcare freedoms.
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Associated Press Article on Fracking Got it Wrong
As Gov. Corbett’s Administration takes office, anti-drilling activist have sought to make a natural gas severance tax their legislative priority. Unfortunately, their distrust of the gas industry largely stems from…
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The Right Thing
I am infamous in the Commonwealth Foundation office and in my family for being old fashioned. There is a litany of reasons: I wear ties a lot. I even own…
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UC Trust Fund Interest Another Fiscal Challenge for PA
A recent NY Times piece looks at the impact of states’ borrowing to pay their unemployment compensation (UC), now that the federal government will begin charging interest on these…
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Associated Press article on fracking got it wrong
Topics on this page Associated Press…
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Are people less motivated to seek a job if they collect unemployment? Some data say yes
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2011 Policy Summit Live Video
Watch the Commonwealth Foundation’s 2011 Policy Summit live, beginning at 1 p.m.
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What the PHEAA is Going On?
The Patriot News reports that former Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) boss Michael Hershock got $200,000 in a settlement over his 2009 firing. To recap, he was fired…
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80 Ideas for a Prosperous Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania must undergo a rapid transformation to reverse the poor policy decisions that have eroded economic freedoms and brought the state to its present condition. To provide a roadmap for…
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How Corbett can Balance the Budget without Raising Taxes
Even before Gov.-elect Tom Corbett raises his right hand high Tuesday swearing to tackle the problems left from the previous administration's tax-borrow-and-spend agenda, doubters are lining up to take potshots…
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