[1] He entered local politics in 1994 but was defeated in his attempt to win election to Metro Toronto council by Norm Kelly.

Soon after his election, he earned considerable and generally positive media attention[citation needed] for his forceful calls to address urban violence.

He campaigned for a time to retain Julian Fantino as chief of the Toronto Police Service, and also pushed for a hotline to report troublesome rodents.

[3] Despite this, Thompson quickly withdrew the suggestion, saying it was "not an idea we can or should try", and characterizing his comment as an "off-the-cuff" remark born of frustration with recent violence.

[7] Thompson ran for Toronto City Council in the 2018 municipal election in the newly expanded Ward 21 Scarborough Center.

It was created as a result of the Toronto ward boundary changes imposed by the Ontario government of Doug Ford in the middle of the campaign.

[8][9] During the 2022 municipal election, Thompson was charged with two counts of sexual assault by the Muskoka district Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) detachment.

[10] Thompson’s trial on 2 counts of sexual assault to which he pleaded not guilty began on October 7, 2024 in a Bracebridge, Ont.