Gary Ferdman, the executive director of Sensible Priorities, a business consortium, said yesterday that he came up with the idea for the discount program when the city decided it needed to reach out to protesters.

Like it or not, "Central Park has now become a symbol," said Gary Ferdman, executive director of a group called Business Leaders for Sensible Priorities.

Business Leaders for Sensible Priorities, a member of the coalition, was responsible for the signed letter in The Wall Street Journal.

As the president of Business Leaders for Sensible Priorities, I work with current or past chief executives of many top companies.

Cohen also oversees TrueMajority and Business Leaders for Sensible Priorities.

Mr. Williams says his frustration at being unable to find enough qualified Americans for the jobs is why he believes the goals of Business Leaders for Sensible Priorities are so important.

Warren Langley San Francisco, Jan. 16, 2007 The writer is chairman of Business Leaders for Sensible Priorities.

Business Leaders for Sensible Priorities (BLSP) is a US non-profit organization composed of 700 business leaders.

Business Leaders for Sensible Priorities (BLSP)

A group called Business Leaders for Sensible Priorities began broadcasting a 30-second television commercial calling for just that.