Thomas Cusmano
Regional Director, Strategic Partnerships
Thomas (Tom) Cusmano is Regional Director, Strategic Partnerships at the Commonwealth Foundation.
Prior to joining the Commonwealth Foundation in early 2022, Tom spent twelve years at the Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI) and its student journalism subsidiary, the Collegiate Network (CN). Both ISI and CN educate, train, and mentor America’s most promising principled student leaders, scholars, and future journalists.
Tom has spent three decades facilitating development support for national, regional, and statewide charitable organizations. He says, “The greatest blessing of my professional life has been to assist an inspiring group of dedicated, patriotic, and generous Americans with their philanthropy. I now have the opportunity to return that inspiration for my home state of Pennsylvania through the worthy endeavors of the Commonwealth Foundation.”
Tom has been a Pennsylvania resident since 1994 and proudly proclaims another great blessing, living in Amish Country, where he, his wife, and family “found home.”
State Budget
The Taxpayer Protection Act
KEY POINTS Pennsylvania’s frequent budget deficits are the consequence of chronic overspending. Pennsylvanians pay $4,589 per person in state and local taxes, which equals 10.2 percent of residents’ total…
Backgrounder
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The Race to Rebuild: How Pennsylvania Can Bounce Back After COVID-19
Pennsylvanians continue to struggle amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and government restrictions. Small business owners face permanent closure, children’s schooling is in disarray, and job seekers have few prospects. Families need…
Report
Read More: The Race to Rebuild: How Pennsylvania Can Bounce Back After COVID-19
Op-Ed: The last line of defense against a governor’s overreach
Pennsylvanians understand the dangers of COVID-19. Sadly, they also fear how Wolf’s unilateral powers imperil their future. That’s why the state Legislature, whose members just heard from their constituents during…
Commentary
Read More: Op-Ed: The last line of defense against a governor’s overreach
Pa. Governor’s Emergency Powers Out of Step with Most States
Pennsylvania’s emergency powers rules make our state sixth-worst in the nation, tied with others like New York and Delaware, according to the Maine Policy Institute’s Balance of Power Index. The…
Commentary
Read More: Pa. Governor’s Emergency Powers Out of Step with Most States
Constitutional Amendment Would Restore Oversight of Gov.’s Emergency Powers
Jan. 13, 2021, Harrisburg, Pa. — The Pennsylvania House State Government Committee has passed House Bill 55, which proposes a constitutional amendment preventing a governor from extending a disaster…
Press Release
Read More: Constitutional Amendment Would Restore Oversight of Gov.’s Emergency Powers
Pa. House Committee Passes Taxpayer Protection Bill
Jan 13, 2021, Harrisburg, Pa. — Today the House State Government Committee advanced the Taxpayer Protection Act, which would put guardrails on state spending growth to protect Pennsylvanians from…
Press Release
Read More: Pa. House Committee Passes Taxpayer Protection Bill
Op-Ed: Will a Biden Presidency Reflect His Scranton Roots?
Biden’s persona is doubtless shaped by his Scranton roots, which he proudly referenced even before the 2020 campaign. It’s important to understand how the former vice president is a product…
Commentary
Read More: Op-Ed: Will a Biden Presidency Reflect His Scranton Roots?
Op-Ed: Pa. Lawmakers must challenge endless Covid lockdowns in 2021
How Pennsylvania lawmakers can help job creators — and those they support — recover in 2021.
Commentary
Read More: Op-Ed: Pa. Lawmakers must challenge endless Covid lockdowns in 2021
An election crisis like no other?
If you think 2020 is bad, you don’t know 1876.
Commentary
Read More: An election crisis like no other?
Life In The Christmas City
Pennsylvania’s Bethlehem tells the tale of two economies in the pandemic era.
Commentary
Read More: Life In The Christmas City
Op-Ed: The restaurant revival that turned into a revolt
This trend is especially evident in Pennsylvania, where Gov. Tom Wolfannounced a three-week indoor dining ban on Dec. 10. His announcement came on…
Commentary
Read More: Op-Ed: The restaurant revival that turned into a revoltEnergy
Climate Change Initiative Would Raise Costs Without Environmental Benefits, Critics Say
If Pennsylvania joins a multistate climate change agreement that restricts carbon dioxide emissions, energy prices will increase and jobs will be lost in response to new regulatory…
Commentary
Read More: Climate Change Initiative Would Raise Costs Without Environmental Benefits, Critics SayEnergy
Energy Shows Why Regulatory Reform is Key
Right now in Pennsylvania —the second-largest energy-producing state behind Texas— Governor Wolf is using executive action to attempt to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). This interstate…
Commentary
Read More: Energy Shows Why Regulatory Reform is Key
No, Pennsylvania Lawmakers can’t Pick their own Electors
The truth is, there is tradition around voting in Pennsylvania, but, more importantly, there are laws. Those laws and the powers they delegated to Pennsylvanians in the voting booth should…
Commentary
Read More: No, Pennsylvania Lawmakers can’t Pick their own Electors
Op-Ed: Gov. Wolf’s COVID-19 restrictions will decimate small businesses across the state
Pasquale and Anna have 30 employees who rely on them to earn a living. That’s why their family decided to keep paying all their employees and not to take any…
Commentary
Read More: Op-Ed: Gov. Wolf’s COVID-19 restrictions will decimate small businesses across the state
Webinar Feedback
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Media
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Liquor Monopoly Can’t Make the PLCB Successful
After closing state stores, the PLCB attempted online sales, but the website was unable to handle the increased traffic. As a “solution,” the PLCB implemented lottery-like randomization to limit online purchases and…
Commentary
Read More: Liquor Monopoly Can’t Make the PLCB Successful
Earmarks Double to $120 Million in State Budget
December 8, 2020, Harrisburg, Pa. — Pennsylvania lawmakers and Gov. Wolf used a shadowy process to bury $120 million of earmarks in the new state budget. That’s double last year’s…
Press Release
Read More: Earmarks Double to $120 Million in State BudgetEnergy
Op-Ed: Pennsylvania Governor’s Climate Regulations Draw Bipartisan Opposition as Hearings Begin
The Wolf administration’s own estimates reportedly show that the tax from selling allowances would generate $2.36 billion over the next decade, which energy consumers would pay through their…
Commentary
Read More: Op-Ed: Pennsylvania Governor’s Climate Regulations Draw Bipartisan Opposition as Hearings Begin
Op-Ed: Pennsylvania Passes the Buck on State Budget
Wolf and the legislature didn’t consider these eventualities when they completed the budget. Instead, during this bleak holiday season, they set up struggling families for a bigger tax bill next…
Commentary
Read More: Op-Ed: Pennsylvania Passes the Buck on State BudgetEnergy
Op-Ed: Was fracking to blame for Pa. Democrats’ “faceplant”?
Biden’s fossil fuel flip-flop may have saved him, but fellow Democrats took the brunt of energy voters’ ire.
Commentary
Read More: Op-Ed: Was fracking to blame for Pa. Democrats’ “faceplant”?