The District of Columbia Mayor, Anthony A. Williams, is not alone among big-city mayors in extending a growing interest in public education to charter schools. This article discusses big-city mayors that have launched initiatives to form more of the independently run, but publicly financed schools. The notion of creating charter schools that appeal to middle-income families is not universally applauded. Among the idea's strongest critics are the very sorts of residents that the City Build initiative is aiming to please. Despite strong criticism from some backers of Washington's regular public schools, Williams made it clear that he sees charter schools as an important tool for achieving that goal.