thomas was first elected to city council in 1994, representing district b – a district which includes bold's home neighborhood of central city as well as the central business district and parts of mid-city and uptown. he served as councilor for this district for two terms before being elected to an at-large seat in 2002. while on city council, thomas developed a reputation as a capable, responsive elected official; he gained a high level of popularity among both black and white voters. his popularity was confirmed in both the elections of 2002 and 2006, when he was elected with a margin wide enough to avoid needing a runoff. he won with 88% of the vote in 2002 and was re-elected with 78% of the vote in 2006. there had been widespread speculation that thomas would run for mayor of new orleans in 2010.