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.”
Government Accountability
Pat Toomey Joins Board of Directors of the Commonwealth Foundation
HARRISBURG, PA — The Commonwealth Foundation—Pennsylvania’s free-market public policy think tank—announced the election of former Pennsylvania Congressman Pat Toomey to its Board of Directors. “We are honored to add…
Press Release
Read More: Pat Toomey Joins Board of Directors of the Commonwealth Foundation
Bogus reform prevails
Brad Bumsted in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review writes about “the much-bullayhooed effort in the General Assembly to strengthen the state’s infamously weak Right to Know Law.” Guess what? It’s gone…
Media
Read More: Bogus reform prevails
Turnpike agency takes us for a ride
Matt Brouillette’s commentary in today’s Patriot-News. In light of the recent tragedy in Minneapolis, the back-room deal of, by, and for the Turnpike with the help of Gov. Rendell…
Media
Read More: Turnpike agency takes us for a ride
How to Keep Our Bridges Safe
Stephen Malanga in todays’s Wall Street Journal on how to address the need for new transportation infrastructure: It’s unlikely that public funds alone will supply what’s needed.
Media
Read More: How to Keep Our Bridges Safe
Taxpayer control in name only
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review editorial on the bill of goods sold to taxpayers with Act 1 of 2006. Supposedly, the General Assembly plans to tackle the issue of property taxes again…
Media
Read More: Taxpayer control in name only
Warren Buffett to ride for free on PAT
This News Release from Rep. Matt Smith to reminds everyone that now senior citizens can ride for free at any time of day. This subsidy isn’t limited to low-income…
Media
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The Politics of Disaster
Geoff Segal on the Reason Blog on the Minnesota bridge collapse and fixing transportation infrastructure. Here is what he had to say about our own Governor: Even Pennsylvania…
Media
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Scarnati “Sets Record Straight”?
Senate President Pro Tem Joe Scarnati defends tolling I-80, claiming he is “setting the record straight”. He leads off saying, “One issue that is not debatable in Pennsylvania is…
Media
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Why do lawmakers fear competitive bidding?
Chambersburg Public Opinion on the attitudes of some lawmakers towards a Turnpike lease, now that the idea may be revisited. It seems that many lawmakers need to visit…
Media
Read More: Why do lawmakers fear competitive bidding?Education
Public Cyber Schools Save Taxpayers Money: Rendell/Zahorchak proposal would increase taxes, reduce public school choice
HARRISBURG, PA — Today, the Commonwealth Foundation issued a response to Pennsylvania Education Secretary Gerald L. Zahorchak’s proposal to reduce funding to the Commonwealth’s public cyber charter schools.
Press Release
Read More: Public Cyber Schools Save Taxpayers Money: Rendell/Zahorchak proposal would increase taxes, reduce public school choice
Why Expanding SCHIP is a bad idea
Resources on the proposed SCHIP expansion (which would increase federal subsidies for health care for the non-poor) from: Heritage FoundationTax FoundationWashington Policy CenterNational…
Media
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The Public Schools Edifice Complex
How much money should a school receive for a student it no longer has to educate? And, is taxpayer money being wisely spent on classroom instruction or school construction? Those…
Commentary
Read More: The Public Schools Edifice Complex
Fly by night transportation plan
Remember about a month ago, when Rep. Geist received a letter from the US Department of Transporation stating that I-80 could not be tolled under the Interstate Reconstruction Program…
Media
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School Choice Roundtable Video
Video from yesterday’s rountable discussion on school choice. Get all Commonwealth Foundation videos here Topics on this page School choice…
Media
Read More: School Choice Roundtable Video
PDE supports limiting school spending
Pennsylvania Education Secretary Gerald L. Zahorchak proposes limiting school spending, reported in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Of course he only wants to limit in for cyber schools – to $5800…
Media
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The Dollars and Sense of School Choice
Introduction Every year, most Pennsylvania homeowners receive larger property tax bills due to increases in public school spending. In the nine school years from 1997 to 2006, school property taxes…
Fact Sheet
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CF on PCN
If you missed the roundtable discussion on school choice and press conference, co-hosted by the Commonwealth Foundation and REACH, in which we released our latest policy brief, there…
Media
Read More: CF on PCN
Not the School Districts’ money
Lowman Henry on the attacks on cyber schools, responding to the same Patriot News article that we did yesterday. Educrats refer to funding for cyber charter schools…
Media
Read More: Not the School Districts’ money
Friedman’s Legacy
Thomas Siems in today’s Wall Street Journal on the legacy of Milton Friedman – as today would have been his 95th birthday. Along with the REACH Foundation, we…
Media
Read More: Friedman’s LegacyEducation
Celebrating Freedom and School Choice: Honoring Dr. Milton Friedman
HARRISBURG, PA — The Commonwealth Foundation and the REACH Foundation will honor Nobel Laureate economist Dr. Milton Friedman as part of the national Friedman Legacy for Freedom campaign on July…
Press Release
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Remember in November of ’08
“The ‘reform movement’ in the Pennsylvania Legislature is dead,” writes Brad Bumsted, who ask us all to “Remember, remember the 5th of November…” Okay, so I think Brad is…
Media
Read More: Remember in November of ’08