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’s Flawed Film Tax Credit: What the ERA study won’t tell you
The Pennsylvania Legislative Budget and Finance Committee contracted with Economics Research Associates (ERA)1 to analyze Pennsylvania’s Film Tax Credit (FTC). In general, the ERA report, “Pennsylvania’s Film Production Tax Credit…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Pennsylvania’s Flawed Film Tax Credit: What the ERA study won’t tell youHealth Care
Reasons ObamaCare Is Wrong for America
The Heritage Foundation has, on their new health care website, the Top 10 Reasons Obamacare Is Wrong for America, starting with the fact that individuals would lose their current…
Media
Read More: Reasons ObamaCare Is Wrong for AmericaGovernment Accountability
Pennsylvania Pulls the Shade on Sunshine
Commonwealth Foundation president and CEO Matthew J. Brouillette issued the following statement today in response to closed-door budget negotiations between Gov. Rendell and selected legislative leaders: “A mere…
Press Release
Read More: Pennsylvania Pulls the Shade on SunshineEducation
How States Can “Race to the Top” on Education Performance
The Wall Street Journal has an excellent editorial on education funding and performance, as well as the unions’ take on the “race to the top” initiative: All…
Media
Read More: How States Can “Race to the Top” on Education PerformanceTaxes & Economy
Federal Spending by the Numbers
The Heritage Foundation has a new report on federal spending. The short document includes lots of good tables and charts showing the effects of Bush-Obama spending increases. Topics…
Media
Read More: Federal Spending by the NumbersTaxes & Economy
Electricity Restructuring and Rate Caps
With electricity rate caps expiring, state lawmakers are concerned that Pennsylvanians will see steep increases in their utility bills. What will happen as the electricity deregulation, which is more accurately…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Electricity Restructuring and Rate CapsRegulation
Rendell, Harley Davidson, and Lando
In Empire Strikes Back, Lando Calrissian tells his old friend Han Solo that “I’ve just made a deal that will keep the Empire out of here forever” before leading…
Media
Read More: Rendell, Harley Davidson, and LandoEducation
Achievement and Education Spending
Jake Haulk of the Allegheny Institute offers some commentary on the much celebrated improvement in Pennsylvania test scores: It is also quite interesting to note the year…
Media
Read More: Achievement and Education Spending
Blogging About CF
Here are some recent coverage of the Commonwealth Foundation from blogs: Gunservatively looks at the five-year record of legalized gambling in Pennsylvania. PA Family Institute links to the…
Media
Read More: Blogging About CFGovernment Accountability
Pennsylvania Has 6th Best Stimulus Website
Good Jobs First has released state stimulus website rankings for all states. Unlike other state rankings, Pennsylvania does well, relative to its peers. Unfortunately, Pennsylvania gets 50…
Media
Read More: Pennsylvania Has 6th Best Stimulus WebsiteTaxes & Economy
Penn State Study Reveals Devastating Effects of Gas Severance Tax
A recent study conducted by researchers at Penn State revealed the negative effects of Gov. Rendell’s proposed severance tax on natural gas extraction in Pennsylvania. The northern tier of…
Media
Read More: Penn State Study Reveals Devastating Effects of Gas Severance TaxGovernment Accountability
Victory for Transparency in State Government
HARRISBURG, PA — Commonwealth Foundation president and CEO Matt Brouillette issued the following statement today in response to the General Assembly’s decision to make Conference Committee meetings on the state…
Press Release
Read More: Victory for Transparency in State GovernmentRegulation
States Face $558 Billion in Unfunded Retiree Health Care Liabilities
Reason’s Out of Control blog notes a new report detailing that states cumulatively face $558 billion in unfunded retiree health care benefits. Pennsylvania doesn’t seem to be in…
Media
Read More: States Face $558 Billion in Unfunded Retiree Health Care LiabilitiesState Budget
PA Senate Democrats Still Playing Games
Yesterday, the Senate rejected a bill to fund the University of Pittsburgh by a 30-20 vote. (It was actually 30 ‘yes’ votes, but the bill needed 2/3 majority to pass. …
Media
Read More: PA Senate Democrats Still Playing GamesPublic Union Democracy
The Perils of Slavish Devotion to Organized Labor
Labor unions maintain a political stranglehold on legislation in Pennsylvania despite representing less than two out of 10 workers.
Commentary
Read More: The Perils of Slavish Devotion to Organized LaborState Budget
Post-Gazette’s Nonsense on Pennsylvania Budget
The Pittsburgh Post Gazette editorial board cribs Gov. Rendell’s talking points on the state budget, and pastes it into an editorial. They state that lawmakers should not “balance…
Media
Read More: Post-Gazette’s Nonsense on Pennsylvania Budget
CF Statement on “Stop-Gap” Budget
“The Commonwealth Foundation supports the idea of a stop-gap budget to ensure that state workers get paid, electricity in state building remains on, and Medicaid bills get paid. Unfortunately, Gov.
Press Release
Read More: CF Statement on “Stop-Gap” BudgetEducation
The Undelivered Promises of Government Preschool
The Sunbury Daily Item features a recent guest editorial claiming that taxpayer funded preschool, such as Gov. Rendell’s PreK Counts, will have long-term savings by reducing crime and improving…
Media
Read More: The Undelivered Promises of Government PreschoolEducation
Is Our Kids Learning Better Now?
Today, the Pennsylvania Department of Education released the PSSA results (the state standardized tests), and celebrated the results. Of course, the Rendell administration wants to take credit for the…
Media
Read More: Is Our Kids Learning Better Now?Education
Who’s For the Children?
In the television comedy The Office, dim-witted boss Michael Scott remarks that he likes giving presents because they are “like this tangible thing that you can point to and say…
Commentary
Read More: Who’s For the Children?Taxes & Economy
Do Voters Want Higher Taxes?
On his blog with the Times Herald, state Senator Daylin Leach makes a couple of absurd claims. First he suggests that residents are more concerned about potholes than high…
Media
Read More: Do Voters Want Higher Taxes?