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.”
Minimum Wage Impact
Coverage of the new Pennsylvania minimum wage and its impact on local businesses in the Carlisle Sentinel and the News Item. While local businesses feel the pinch and…
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Legislative Reform on Tap?
Regardless of who is elected Speaker of the House (see here), both the Pennsylvania House and Senate have promised to take up reforms to make the legislative process more…
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Will leasing PA Turnpike be a 21st-century taxpayer bargain?
Will leasing PA Turnpike be a 21st-century taxpayer bargain?By MARC LEVYAssociated Press Writer HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP, Dec. 30) – Let the bidding begin. With lots of private money looking…
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Minimum wage: The rising tide that lifts all wages?
Carlisle Sentinel on PA’s higher minimum wage. Alhtough, our study is quoted, the context is not fully given. Our study does indeed claim that jobs will be lost; however,…
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… but lease would bring efficiencies to turnpike
Nate Benefield in today’s Morning Call. Topics on this page The Morning Call…
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Editorial: Taxpayers funding legislators’ retirement
DelcoTimes weighs in on the looming pension crisis. Topics on this page Delaware County Daily Times…
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Pension gap fix may not be easy
Part 4 of Mark Scolforo’s series. Topics on this page Mark Scolforo…
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Federal income tax data
In response to the commenter on my last post here are some numbers on federal income tax receipts: for 2000 and 2004 from the Tax Foundation and 2006…
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The Top 1% Pay 35%
Wall Street Journal article on how much “the rich” pay in taxes. Topics on this page The Wall Street Journal…
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Health tab for public Pa. retirees nears $34 billion
AP Story on the liability for health coverage for retired state workers. Preliminary estimates are that state taxpayers will have to contribute $1.125 billion annually to pay off the…
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To lease or not to lease
From Capitolwire.com (subscription): While Gov. Ed Rendell waits for a Dec. 22 deadline for private firms to submit “expressions of interest” to lease the Pennsylvania Turnpike, public policy…
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Leasing of turnpike worth consideration
Reading Eagle Editorial ponders a turnpike lease.
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Unless spending can be curbed, real tax relief will remain elusive
Patriot News Editorial notes that addressing the spending side of the equation is the key to property tax relief. They also note that the looming crisis in school…
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Gambling board perks add up to $25M
No wonder the Gaming Control Board is asking for a bigger budget: Brad Bumsted and Andrew Conte expose the waste on perks, in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Topics on…
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Pension crisis on the horizon
The Scranton Times-Tribune looks at the looming crisis in our state pension systems, and how lawmakers bolstering pension benefits exacerbated this crisis. Also, Mark Scolforo of the AP with…
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Health care costs drive up Port Authority bill
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports that 2,600 RETIRED government (Port Authority of Allegheny County) employees get to vote on CURRENT contracts! Giving the effective power of veto to FORMER employees has…
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Leasing the Turnpike
Sunday’s Patriot News looks at the potential terms of a turnpike lease, and the affect potential limits and mandates would have on the price of a lease. Also, check…
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Teacher pension hike could make tax cuts fleeting
Mark Guydish of the Times Leader focuses on how pension increases will outpace any property tax “relief” (i.e., shift) from Gov. Rendell’s historic Act 1 of 2006. Topics…
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Ending high school at 10th grade?
A new report calls for ending high school after 10th grade (students could then enter community college or have two years of college prep work, paying teachers a higher starting…
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Dubai firm to sell U.S. ports
Dubai Ports World is selling their US Ports operations to AIG. Here are all the changes planned after a year of the Dubai firm and several years of a…
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The Price is Wrong: Most Americans Significantly Underestimate Health Care Costs
A survey by HealthMarkets shows that prices doctors charge for the same procedure vary dramatically, an dmost consumer have little idea what the service costs.
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