Primiano is running against incumbent Ginette Sauvé-Frankel, who won the seat in the last election four years ago. She replaced longtime commissioner Joan Rothman, who had represented Westmount on the school board for many years.

Primiano had been a teacher at FACE (Fine Arts Core Education) since 1982 and the school's principal since 1991. The Commission Scolaire de Montréal, which took over FACE from the EMSB, alleged management irregularities on his part last year.

Primiano resigned after signing a confidentiality agreement. At least one insider maintains the CSDM simply wanted to replace him with someone from their own organization. Primiano has since become the principal of Lake of Two Mountains High School in the Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board.

In an interview with the Examiner, Primiano said he is running on the basis of his beliefs about education. "I really truly believe in public education, in the sense of offering quality programs, re-energizing public education, facilitating innovation of partnerships, schools out to become more community-oriented in the sense of offering partnerships with the city, with business. If you take a look at, for example, McGill music and arts, where there are huge partnerships."

Primiano is proposing that public schools could remain open throughout the year, rather than shutting down during the summer, and that their role can be broadened in the community. "Who says a school has to close at the end of June and that's it?" he asks.

"A school can be available to the community for other activities … We can create partnerships with all kinds of people … The main responsibility is to make sure that money is well-spent and service is provided to the students."

Primiano believes that public schools have an image problem which needs correcting. "A great number of people are going to the private. Why? We can offer value-education at all times as a nice option for parents to come back to. Society is what it is because of the strength of its public education. That's very important.

"In societies where public education is weak, that society is weak. So we have a mandate. When you look at who's who in society, most of the people that graduate came from the public system. Most of the people who do organize society for its needs and public services come from the public system. So the majority's there."