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.”
The Top 1% . . . of What?
Wall Street Journal article looks at the PR campaign against the “top 1%”. Two points to note: 1) Using tax return as a measure of income misses a lot…
Media
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How to Help the Poor
John Stossel on how rich business leaders can help the poor… Great business creators like Duncan and Turner waste their skills if they just give money away.
Media
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The Education Market Index
The Cato Institute release a report, The Education Market Index, which ranks states on the freedom and choice in their K-12 education markets. Pennsylvania ranks 9th, but only with…
Media
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$150,000 LCB post for retired legislator
Philadelphia Inquirer reports on another public “servant” landing a cushy taxpayer-funded job…and one that was created for him! Topics on this page The Philadelphia Inquirer, LLC…
Media
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Turnpike Lease is Win-Win for Taxpayers, Lawmakers
Governor Rendell’s recent announcement that the state would seek “expressions of interest” on a lease of the Pennsylvania Turnpike is a recognition of the potential benefits of public-private partnerships (P3s)…
Commentary
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How do state taxes effect entrepreneurship?
A report by the SBA Office of Advocacy looks at state taxes and the effect on entrepreneurship (measure as the number of sole proprietors). While much of their analysis…
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Bad ruling allowed teacher strikes
Read Simon Campbell’s editorial in Sunday’s Patriot News. Topics on this page The Patriot-News…
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Colin McNickle on the PNC welfare
In the 1980s and 90s, stories about “welfare queens” using tax dollars to buy Cadillacs led to a major overhaul of welfore in the mid-1990s. Maybe PNC’s role as a…
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School districts’ pension tab to rise
Charles Thompson reports in the Patriot News that school districts’ contributions to the pension system is going to rise by about $94 million next year. That is minor compared…
Media
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In case you missed it …
The Evening Bulletin covered Wednesday’s Speaker Franklin Awards Gala.
Media
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Specter gets GOP back on track
Sports Illustrated reports that Arlen Specter is trying to push the GOP back to the founding father’s principles of government, such as ensuring access to TV coverage of football.
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What about those with spending problems?
The Post-Gazette reports that the hotline for problem gamblers has now opened. The irony of legalizing gambling to (in part) fund services for problem gamblers isn’t lost on me,…
Media
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State of the Unions
Stephen Moore in the Wall Street Journal on the Washington State case on whether workers are entitled to refuse union fees that will be used for political activity. The…
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Rendell: Make an offer for Pa. Turnpike
Yesterday, Governor Rendell announced that the state will be accepting bids for a lease on the Pennsylvania Turnpike through December 22. (See Philadelphia Inquirer story). A lease would require…
Media
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Rendell to weigh turnpike funding
The Patriot News reports that Governor Rendell will announce his views on leasing the Pennsylvania Turnpike. We at the Commonwealth Foundation maintain that Public-Private Parternships are the key to…
Media
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Tax relief is illusion, panel says
The Morning Call reports on the phenomenon that is occuring all across Pennsylvania as school boards are forced to consider tax shifting. One member of the Northampton…
Media
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National Health Care? We’re Halfway There
New York Times article highlights that fact that almost half of all Americans are covered by government health care (through Medicare, Medicaid and related program, and government employee’s health…
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Critic: Select house leader openly
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review article on the need for transparency in leadership elections. Topics on this page Pittsburgh Tribune-Review…
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Amtrak service between Philly, Harrisburg trying to improve on ‘beyond pathetic’
The Morning Call reports that the $145 million taxpayer grant to Amtrak for “high speed rail.” Not only was this project not worth the benefit (See here), but…
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Increasing Dependence on Government
In a new report, the 2006 Index of Dependency, the Heritage Foundation concludes that Americans are growing increasingly dependent on government in the areas of housing, health care, education,…
Media
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‘Moderate,’ from a liberal’s perspective
Dimitri Vassilaros of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reminds us of how those who fought for Independence and against slavery and for women’s suffrage were not moderates, but “extremists”. But that’s…
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