[4] In early 1998, he was named executive director of the Office of Urban Initiatives, which is a community development corporation that endeavors to improve business opportunities for minorities.

[8] The Buffalo Common Council had a brief African-American majority during Thompson's appointed half term that ended following the subsequent elections in September and November 2001.

He raised campaign funds and consulted party leaders about the possibility of challenging United States House of Representatives then 76-year-old congresswoman Louise Slaughter who was already a 10-term veteran.

[22] In 2006, the Erie County Democratic Party chairman was Leonard Lenihan, and he noted that Thompson had not been timely in entering the special election process.

[23] The Erie and Niagara County Democratic committees bypassed Thompson as their nominee in favor of Marc Coppola despite Brown's backing.

[32] When Thompson assumed office, he worked on economic revitalization issues and the redevelopment of brownfield land,[33][34][35] but he had to combat government inaction and bureaucracy in this effort.

[38] After refusing to comment on the issue for some time,[39] Thompson was one of eight Democratic defectors on Eliot Spitzer's unpopular policy allowing illegal aliens to obtain driver's licenses.

[41] He supported the streamlining of minority- and woman-owned business certification[42] and opposed fracking[43] Thompson voted in favor of same-sex marriage legislation on December 2, 2009, but the bill was defeated.

[41] After a lengthy recount[45][46][47] Thompson lost the general election to Mark Grisanti, an enrolled Democrat who ran on the Republican Party line.

[51] Thompson formerly hosted Western New York on the Move, a weekly radio show broadcast Thursdays at noon on WUFO 1080 AM.