 Papageorgopoulos first got involved in politics in 1978 when he was elected City councilor of Thessaloniki.He practiced dentistry until 1981, when he was elected as a member of the Greek Parliament, representing Thessaloniki, for the Conservative New Democracy party .Papageorgopoulos has been, from 1 January 1999 to 31 December 2010, the mayor of Thessaloniki.