In the 1990 election Thomas stood for the National Party, taking the Hamilton West electorate from Trevor Mallard.
[4] In 2003 a comment about then-mayor David Braithwaite being a dictator prompted fellow councillor Bill Ward to question Thomas' support for the mayor.
This led to Jody Garrett nominating Ward in a bid to replace Thomas as deputy mayor.
[5] In 2005 Thomas claimed that the 13 members of the city council were excessive, saying "[their] salary is too high for the workload".
[6] By reducing the number to ten, Thomas explained that the council could save NZ$150,000 annually.