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
Will “State-Related” Universities Get Stimulus Funding, No Stimulus Funding, or No Funding at All?
On June 26th the Governor submitted his application for federal stabilization funds, including the following phrase:”The Commonwealth’s “state-related universities” are excluded from all calculations for purposes of the State Fiscal…
Media
Read More: Will “State-Related” Universities Get Stimulus Funding, No Stimulus Funding, or No Funding at All?State Budget
PA House GOP Budget by the Numbers
The Pennsylvania House Republicans unveiled their state budget proposal Friday, to be added as an amendment if and when a budget bill is brought to the House floor. As we…
Media
Read More: PA House GOP Budget by the NumbersState Budget
PA Budget Craziness
Alright, I’m still trying to figure out what the Pennsylvania House Democrats did to the state budget proposal today in the Appropriations Committee. But here’s the basics: They took…
Media
Read More: PA Budget Craziness
Keystone Opportunity Zones Fail to Deliver Economic Prosperity
On Thursday, the Legislative Budget and Finance committee heard testimony evaluating the effectiveness of the Keystone Opportunity Zone (KOZ) program. The KOZ is an “economic revitalization” program that provides…
Media
Read More: Keystone Opportunity Zones Fail to Deliver Economic Prosperity
Rendell’s spokesman called me a “flaming a–hole”
Governor Ed Rendell held a news conference today to continue his campaign to raise taxes on working Pennsylvanians. We showed up with our billboards saying “Yes, We Can!”…
Media
Read More: Rendell’s spokesman called me a “flaming a–hole”
A Real Budget Solution!
HARRISBURG, PA — Today, the Commonwealth Foundation unveiled a new proposal to help generate revenue to fill the state budget deficit—selling statuettes of Gov. Ed Rendell. Last week, Gov. Rendell…
Press Release
Read More: A Real Budget Solution!Education
Rendell Administration Continues to Lie on Education Funding
Pennsylvania Education Secretary Gerald Zahorchak continues the administration’s scare tactics and ininaccurate propaganda claiming that the $27.3 billion PA House budget would force schools to increase property…
Media
Read More: Rendell Administration Continues to Lie on Education FundingTaxes & Economy
Stop the PA Rip-off: End Rate Caps
Democratic candidate for Governor Tom Knox just launched a website to promote the extension of electric rate caps. The site, stoptheparipoff.com, ignores the cost of extending rate caps…
Media
Read More: Stop the PA Rip-off: End Rate CapsState Budget
Gov. Rendell: “State Workers Should Put a Statue of Me on Their Mantles”
In each of the past seven years, under the leadership of Gov. Rendell, Pennsylvania has failed to pass a state budget by the start of the fiscal year (July 1),…
Media
Read More: Gov. Rendell: “State Workers Should Put a Statue of Me on Their Mantles”Education
“Tax You More Bus Tour” Hits Speed Bump
The “Tax You More Bus Tour” is still puttering along in the taxpayer-funded luxury bus – or at least it was scheduled to. The Department of Education twice attempted…
Media
Read More: “Tax You More Bus Tour” Hits Speed BumpHealth Care
Socialized Health-Care Not Paying Off
There have been many claims that medical costs have led to bankruptcies across the United States. As a result, advocates of socialized medicine argue that the mixed public-private health…
Media
Read More: Socialized Health-Care Not Paying Off
CF Applauds House Republicans’ Budget
HARRISBURG, PA — The Commonwealth Foundation today applauded state House Republicans for offering a fiscally responsible state budge proposal. “The House Republicans’ proposal shows that ‘yes, we can‘ balance…
Press Release
Read More: CF Applauds House Republicans’ BudgetState Budget
Obituary for the Pennsylvania Income Tax Hike
Rendell’s personal income tax hike plan is dead, declared PA House Republicans yesterday. Brad Bumsted has the obituary in the Pittsburgh Tribune Review. Despite not having…
Media
Read More: Obituary for the Pennsylvania Income Tax HikeState Budget
PA Auditor General Offers Ways to Balance Budget – Without Tax Hike
Add one more Democrat to the list of those who don’t think we should raise the state income tax – Auditor General Jack Wagner has release a series of…
Media
Read More: PA Auditor General Offers Ways to Balance Budget – Without Tax HikeRegulation
Pennsylvania’s Gambling Addiction
Five years ago this month, Gov. Rendell signed into law the signature policy achievement of his tenure -- legalized slot machine gambling. Act 71 of 2004 allows for 61,000 slot…
Commentary
Read More: Pennsylvania’s Gambling AddictionState Budget
Balancing the Budget: Another Rendell Lie?
The Rendell administration has been saying for weeks that the budget passed by the Senate in May (SB 850) is “$1.5 billion out of balance”. As John Micek…
Media
Read More: Balancing the Budget: Another Rendell Lie?Health Care
Video: Health Reform and Wait Times (In Lego!)
Here is a good video comparing health care wait times in Atlanta and Boston – home to the failed Massachusetts health care reform, which serves as a model…
Media
Read More: Video: Health Reform and Wait Times (In Lego!)State Budget
Rendell’s Actual Budget Proposal
Number crunchers around Harrisburg may remember last week, I posted a spreadsheet of the Pennsylvania state budget proposals, but had to guess at Governor Rendell’s allocation of federal stimulus…
Media
Read More: Rendell’s Actual Budget ProposalTaxes & Economy
Climate Change Alarmists Seek to Educate NEPA Taxpayers
The Mertz-Gilmore Foundation, a self-described “sustainable environment” grant making institution based out of New York City, recently announced its plan to give a $50,000 grant to PennFuture, to “support…
Media
Read More: Climate Change Alarmists Seek to Educate NEPA TaxpayersState Budget
Budget Facts 2009: PA State Budget Overview
Pennsylvania faces a $3 billion tax revenue shortfall in the state’s General Fund Budget. Competing proposals from Gov. Ed Rendell and the Republican-led Senate differ on raising taxes and reducing/reprioritizing spending.
Fact Sheet
Read More: Budget Facts 2009: PA State Budget Overview
Higher Income Taxes Will Cost Jobs
HARRISBURG, PA — Economists at the Beacon Hill Institute (BHI) at Suffolk University published a rebuttal to the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center’s (PBPC) criticism of the Pennsylvania State Tax…
Press Release
Read More: Higher Income Taxes Will Cost Jobs