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.”
State Budget
Commonwealth Foundation Applauds Senate Budget
HARRISBURG, PA — The Commonwealth Foundation today applauded the state Senate for passing a General Fund budget that counters Governor Rendell’s proposal to continue along the failed and unsustainable path…
Press Release
Read More: Commonwealth Foundation Applauds Senate BudgetTaxes & Economy
Bailouts and the Press
History has a way of repeating itself and all these comparisons between today’s recession and the great depression are sometimes eerily similar. Economic conditions and the popularity of the internet…
Media
Read More: Bailouts and the PressTaxes & Economy
Obama’s New Business Tax Scheme
President Obama is set to unveil a plan to crack down on cabinet members corporations that, in his view, are avoiding paying their share in taxes. Basically the plan…
Media
Read More: Obama’s New Business Tax SchemeEducation
Weighted Student Funding Formula
Reason Foundation has a new yearbook and resources on weighted student funding. Weighted student funding is a way for school districts, and states, to fund students instead of school…
Media
Read More: Weighted Student Funding FormulaState Budget
Pennsylvania Budget Deficit Grows by Nearly $1 Billion
Both the Pennsylvania House Democrats and Republicans are reporting an April General Fund revenue shortfall of $941.5 million. I am still waiting for the report from the Department of…
Media
Read More: Pennsylvania Budget Deficit Grows by Nearly $1 BillionTaxes & Economy
Over $4 Million in PA Unemployment Fraud
WGAL has a story on reports from the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry of over $4 million in fraud in unemployment compensation benefits. You can assume there is…
Media
Read More: Over $4 Million in PA Unemployment FraudState Budget
PA House Dems to Introduce Budget
Dwight Evans, chair of the Pennsylvania House Appropriations Committee, is scheduled to introduce the 2009-10 budget legislation “using the Rendell budget proposal as the basis.” They are also estimating…
Media
Read More: PA House Dems to Introduce BudgetTaxes & Economy
Wrong Time for a Severance Tax
The Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center (PBPC) released a report this week advocating for a severance tax on natural resource extraction, such as the proposed tax by Governor Rendell…
Media
Read More: Wrong Time for a Severance TaxTaxes & Economy
How PA Should Use Its Stimulus Money
Lawmakers in Missouri announced they are foregoing pet projects in order to temporarily lower the state’s personal income tax from 6% to 5.5%. (HT NTU) Governor Rendell would be…
Media
Read More: How PA Should Use Its Stimulus MoneyTaxes & Economy
Amendment to Protect Taxpayers from Unfunded Mandates
Rep. Mike Peifer proposed a constitutional amendment to ban state legislation that imposes unfunded mandates on local governments. Since Governor Rendell has been lax at cutting wasteful spending…
Media
Read More: Amendment to Protect Taxpayers from Unfunded MandatesGovernment Accountability
New Video Contest Entries
There is one month remaining to submit videos in our Please, No More Taxes! Video Contest with $4,000 in prizes available. Upload videos to our YouTube Group here.
Media
Read More: New Video Contest Entries
Some Perspectives on Obama’s 100 Days
Reason Magazine sums up the “change” of the Obama administration: On the economy, and specifically on the economic crisis, Obama came to office promising a…
Media
Read More: Some Perspectives on Obama’s 100 DaysTaxes & Economy
Will Mandated Smart Meters Save Money?
Last year the legislature passed Act 128, which forces utilities to force their customers to conserve electricity. Among the provisions is a mandate to install smart meters in every…
Media
Read More: Will Mandated Smart Meters Save Money?Public Union Democracy
Right-to-Work Works
Mark J. Perry queries, using the ALEC report Rich States, Poor States: “What feature do 15 out of the top 16 states for economic outlook have in…
Media
Read More: Right-to-Work WorksTaxes & Economy
Rendell’s Pants are on Fire
Governor Rendell, in comments made today about Sen. Specter, claimed that Specter is “being criticized by his party for voting for the stimulus … which is something every conservative economist…
Media
Read More: Rendell’s Pants are on FireGovernment Accountability
Is Pennsylvania’s Medical Malpractice Crisis Over?
Governor Rendell has declared that Pennsylvania no longer has a “crisis” in medical malpractice lawsuits, citing recent declines in the number of suits filed. Critics claimed that reform have…
Media
Read More: Is Pennsylvania’s Medical Malpractice Crisis Over?Regulation
Public Television Subsidies
Testimony from the Commonwealth Foundation for Public Policy Alternatives to the Pennsylvania House State Government CommitteeApril 28, 2008 We would like to thank the members of the House State…
Testimony
Read More: Public Television Subsidies
Debating Drug Decriminalization
A recent Cato Study and a related article in Time look at the effect of drug decriminalization in Portugal, finding that, Those data…
Media
Read More: Debating Drug DecriminalizationEducation
Rethinking Financial Aid for Higher Ed
Andrew Gillen of the Center for College Affordability and Productivity has an interesting analysis of the effects of federal and state financial aid programs for colleges and universities. Namely,…
Media
Read More: Rethinking Financial Aid for Higher EdRegulation
PA Liquor Stores Want a Better Monopoly
Brian O’Neill with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported yesterday that the PA Liquor Control Board (PLCB) has spent $3.7 million to develop a new name for their stores in an…
Media
Read More: PA Liquor Stores Want a Better MonopolyState Budget
More on Murtha Airport
Congressman John Murtha’s monument to himself – John Murtha airport – has gotten a lot of coverage lately. First, here is the CNN Clip, in which the airport…
Media
Read More: More on Murtha Airport