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.”
AP: Corporate Welfare Doesn’t Work
Marc Levy of the AP with analysis of taxpayer subsidized businesses and job growth in Pennsylvania: To date, the Rendell administration has offered $1.7 billion in aid through…
Media
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Senate Open Records Reform: Good, But Can Be Better
State government watchdogs provide input on proposed SB 1 changes HARRISBURG – The effort to overhaul Pennsylvania’s Open Records law will take center stage at the rescheduled Senate State Government…
Press Release
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Imbeciles against WAMs
Yet another article on corporate welfare programs, by Rick Fellinger in Chambersburg Public Opinion, this one focusing on WAMs. In spite of Johnna Pro’s claim “there’s no such…
Media
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Political hacks give bad policy advice
Dick Morris offers the opinion that President Bush should sign the SCHIP expansion. Why? Because is a smaller version of socialized medicine than “Hillary Care” and will “take the…
Media
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Politicians fight against openness
Times-Tribune editorial on why the PA House gutted the Open Records bill, effectively undermining the effort to make state government somewhat open. In related news, Governor Rendell has decided…
Media
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Biofuels Report: “No more Subsidies!”
Earth Track has released a report titled Biofuels – At What Cost? Government support for ethanol and biodiesel in the United States: 2007 Update. The…
Media
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Did Governor Rendell fix Medical Malpractice?
Not to impugn John Graham’s post on StateHouseCall, saying “Gov. Rendell Has One Health Reform Half Right,” but we think Pennsylvania gets less than a thumbs up on…
Media
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PA Conceals List of Polling Places
In an odd move, in the wake of open records reform, the state has decided to conceal its list of polling places. They cite fear of terrorists getting…
Media
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Did Thornburgh really call for “moderation”?
The most recent Madonna and Young Political Uncorrected commentary claims that former Gov. Dick Thornburgh’s congressional testimony wasn’t about defending his client Cyril Wecht, who is under indictment…
Media
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Educators urge Legislature to fix system (i.e. spend more)
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review on the latest call for increased state spending on education from the Education Policy and Leadership Center. Their drumbeat is that the state’s share is only 38%…
Media
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State Lawmakers Argue Gaming Board Lacks Authority
ABC 27 article and video on the latest controversy over at the Gaming Control Board: The Philadelphia Inquirer reports DeNaples is being investigated by a Dauphin County…
Media
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Watch Benefield live on PCN
The Pennsylvania Cable Network will be covering my testimony on prison privatization live – estimated time is 2:30 pm. Topics on this page Pennsylvania Cable…
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Private Prisons Increase Capacity, Save Money, Improve Service
Good Afternoon, my name is Nathan Benefield, I am the Director of Policy Research with the Commonwealth Foundation, a research and educational organization based in Harrisburg. I would like to…
Testimony
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Rendell: Give me money, I will stop terrorism
Governor Rendell continues to claim that energy plan will stop funding of terrorism. It won’t – his plan is all about getting more money to hand out to…
Media
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The Global-Warming Debate Isn’t Over Until It’s Over
John Stossel on Townhall.com on the Global Warming scare. Video of his latest segment is posted below. Also of interest is this New York Times column that…
Media
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House Republicans in double trouble
First, the bonusgate investigation has added subpoenas for House Republicans to those of House Democrats. One can only assume the Senate is next. Now Brett Feese’s…
Media
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We’re #1! And #4? In Lobbying, that is.
Finally, Pennsylvania ranks first in something – unfortunately, it is a dubious honor. The ranking is “most money spent on federal lobbying” by state and local governments. The great…
Media
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Opposing Reform for Opposing Reform’s sake
Yesterday the House voted to water down an ethics bill, which would have appointed half the members of the ethics committee by random, instead of by leadership appoints (read the…
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Stossel Video – Global Warming
John Stossel’s latest “Give Me A Break” segment on global warming addresses some key facts and myths: Stossel will be the keynote speaker at our Speaker Franklin…
Media
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Lawmaker’s bills to counter Rendell health package
Chambersburg Public Opinion on Sen. Folmer’s Healthy Pennsylvania proposal. Governor Rendell has indicated he might, maybe, support this plan “The governor’s interest is in health care…
Media
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Oh to be an ex-lawmaker
Philadelphia Inquirer on former state rep Brett Feese’s $250,000 salary as counsel to the House Republicans. Though Feese’s salary is far higher than almost anyone in state government, including…
Media
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