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
Special interests drive up education spending but hurt students and teachers
Originally published in The Mercury News Last month, after many delays, the Pennsylvania Department of Education released academic assessment results for 2021. The results were startling: over 47 percent…
Media Hit
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Gov. Wolf Should Pick the Side of Students
Originally published in The Philadelphia Citizen All students—regardless of their race, sex, or birthplace—deserve the opportunity to succeed. They deserve education choices. But school boards—and most recently, Gov. Tom…
Media Hit
Read More: Gov. Wolf Should Pick the Side of StudentsEducation
An answer for the way COVID put our children behind
Originally published in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Maria Elizabeth had to make a hard choice: send her son to a failing school in Clairton or get a second job selling…
Media Hit
Read More: An answer for the way COVID put our children behindEnergy
This nixed natural-gas project shows you just how absurd Biden’s energy policy is
Originally published in the New York Post As gas prices rise and Vladimir Putin escalates his war on Ukraine, Democrats’ political fortunes fall. That’s why President Joe Biden announced last week he’ll…
Media Hit
Read More: This nixed natural-gas project shows you just how absurd Biden’s energy policy isRegulation
Pa. Senate Fails to Override Governor’s Veto
April 5, 2022, Harrisburg, Pa. — Monday, the Pennsylvania Senate failed to override Gov. Tom Wolf’s January veto of SCR 1, the concurrent resolution rejecting the state’s entrance into the…
Press Release
Read More: Pa. Senate Fails to Override Governor’s VetoEducation
Pa. House Committee Passes Student Scholarship Bill
March 29, 2022, Harrisburg, Pa. — Today, the Pennsylvania House Education Committee approved a bill to offer Lifeline Scholarships to students in underperforming school districts. HB 2169, sponsored by…
Press Release
Read More: Pa. House Committee Passes Student Scholarship BillTaxes & Economy
The tax holiday is a bait-and-switch as a fiscal crisis looms
Originally published at The Patriot-News Just as inflation reached a 40-year high, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine deepens the high food and gas price shock to U.S. consumers—to Pennsylvanians.
Media Hit
Read More: The tax holiday is a bait-and-switch as a fiscal crisis loomsPublic Union Democracy
How Taxpayer-Funded Lobbying Stalls Education Reform Favored by Taxpayers
Originally published at the Delaware Valley Journal Taxpayer-funded public school lobbyists who favor increased funding at taxpayer expense typically oppose legislation that would expand educational opportunities for the children…
Media Hit
Read More: How Taxpayer-Funded Lobbying Stalls Education Reform Favored by TaxpayersEducation
Gov. Wolf Acts Unilaterally to Stifle Charter Schools
March 22, 2022, Harrisburg, Pa. — On Monday, the Independent Regulatory Review Commission (IRRC) approved Gov. Tom Wolf’s proposed regulations for Pennsylvania charter schools. The governor pushed the new…
Press Release
Read More: Gov. Wolf Acts Unilaterally to Stifle Charter SchoolsTaxes & Economy
Two-Year Anniversary of Gov. Wolf’s Shutdown
March 18, 2022, Harrisburg, Pa. — This weekend marks two years since Gov. Tom Wolf’s arbitrary, unilateral shutdown of Pennsylvania’s “non-life-sustaining” businesses. On March 19, 2020,…
Press Release
Read More: Two-Year Anniversary of Gov. Wolf’s ShutdownEnergy
The key to saving Ukraine and defeating Putin may lie in Pennsylvania
Originally published at Fox Business Interested in ending Vladimir Putin’s reign of terror in Ukraine, as the world’s largest geopolitical threat? Unleash …
Media Hit
Read More: The key to saving Ukraine and defeating Putin may lie in PennsylvaniaTaxes & Economy
Jennifer Stefano Discusses Business and Market Headlines on Newsmax
Executive Vice President of the Commonwealth Foundation Jennifer Stefano joined Newsmax on March 7, 2022 to discuss the latest business and market headlines. Topics on this pageNewsmax TV…
Media Hit
Read More: Jennifer Stefano Discusses Business and Market Headlines on NewsmaxTaxes & Economy
Jennifer Stefano on Newsmax 3.7.2022
Executive Vice President of the Commonwealth Foundation Jennifer Stefano joined Newsmax in the 8:00 A.M. hour to talk about Russia, Ukraine, and the economic impact of the conflict. Topics…
Media Hit
Read More: Jennifer Stefano on Newsmax 3.7.2022Regulation
The PLCB’s Boondoggles
PLCB History In 1933, four days before the end of Prohibition, then-Gov. Gifford Pinchot established the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB). Pinchot created the PLCB to fill the regulatory…
Fact Sheet
Read More: The PLCB’s BoondogglesTaxes & Economy
A Brief History of Gov. Tom Wolf’s Tax Hike Proposals
Key Points Wolf proposed or supported 14 tax hike proposals. Twelve were stopped.Wolf’s proposals contained 52 individual tax increases.If Wolf’s first and most expansive tax proposal had come to fruition,…
Fact Sheet
Read More: A Brief History of Gov. Tom Wolf’s Tax Hike ProposalsEducation
News Release: Pa. State Test Scores Confirm Decline in Student Learning
March 7, 2022, Harrisburg Pa. – After a multi-month delay, the Pennsylvania Department of Education released on Friday student test scores for the 2021 Pennsylvania System of School Assessment…
Press Release
Read More: News Release: Pa. State Test Scores Confirm Decline in Student LearningRegulation
Liquor Privatization Constitutional Amendment
The Constitutional Amendment Process House Bill 2272 proposes an amendment to Article 3, Section F of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania stating, “The Commonwealth shall not manufacture…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Liquor Privatization Constitutional AmendmentTaxes & Economy
Taxpayer Protection Act: Facts & Myths
Summary The Taxpayer Protection Act (TPA) controls the growth of state spending by tying budget increases to the average rate of inflation and population growth. Moreover, the TPA requires a…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Taxpayer Protection Act: Facts & MythsEducation
How Tax Credit Scholarships Empower Those Most in Need
Originally published in the Delaware Valley Journal Of all the school choice bills currently up for consideration in Pennsylvania, state Sen. Mike Regan’s proposed expansion of tax credit scholarships…
Media Hit
Read More: How Tax Credit Scholarships Empower Those Most in NeedState Budget
Examining Wolf’s revisionist history
Originally printed in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette What will Pennsylvanians remember about Gov. Tom Wolf? This is his final year in office, and Mr. Wolf’s original priorities remain mostly…
Media Hit
Read More: Examining Wolf’s revisionist historyPublic Union Democracy
Study: Labor reforms save taxpayers billions and spark economic growth
Feb. 24, 2022, Harrisburg, Pa. — A new Commonwealth Foundation report examines the impact Wisconsin’s Act 10 has had on balancing budgets, stimulating the economy, and enacting school choice legislation.
Press Release
Read More: Study: Labor reforms save taxpayers billions and spark economic growth