"Able" Mable Thomas was a member of the Georgia House of Representatives

Georgia House of Representatives

The Georgia House of Representatives is the lower house of the Georgia General Assembly of the U.S. state of Georgia.-Composition:...

 representing Georgia House district 55, areas immediately west and southwest of Downtown Atlanta

Downtown Atlanta

Downtown Atlanta is the first and largest of the three financial districts in the city of Atlanta. Downtown Atlanta is the location of many corporate or regional headquarters, city, county, state and federal government facilities, sporting facilities, and is the central tourist attraction of the city...

 and areas west and northwest of Midtown Atlanta

Midtown Atlanta

Midtown is the second largest financial district in the city of Atlanta, Georgia, situated between the commercial and financial districts of Downtown and SoNo to the south and the affluent residential and commercial district of Buckhead to the north...

.

Political career

Thomas' political career started when she was chosen as a presidential delegate for candidate Jesse Jackson at the 1984 Democratic National Convention

1984 Democratic National Convention

The 1984 National Convention of the U.S. Democratic Party was held at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, California from July 16 to July 19, 1984, to select a candidate for the 1984 United States presidential election. At the convention Walter Mondale was nominated for President and Geraldine...

. In the same year she won a seat in the Georgia House. She served four terms. In 1997, she ran for and won a seat on the Atlanta City Council

Atlanta City Council

Atlanta City Council is the main municipal legislative body for the city of Atlanta, Georgia. It consists of 15 members elected from districts within the city. The Atlanta City Government is divided into three bodies: the legislative, executive and judicial branches. The Atlanta City Council serves...

. In 2000 she returned to the Georgia House for six years.

In 2008 Thomas challenged John Lewis for the U.S. House of Representatives

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

 seat for . Lewis defeated her in the Democratic primary. In July 2010 she ran for her old Georgia House seat but lost to Rashad Taylor

Rashad Taylor

Rashad Taylor is a politician from Atlanta, Georgia. A Democrat, he serves in the Georgia House of Representatives, representing the 55th district in Fulton County. He was first elected in November 2008, taking office the following January...

 in the primary.

Endorsements

In 2009 Thomas endorsed Mary Norwood

Mary Norwood

Mary Norwood was a 2009 mayoral candidate in Atlanta and a city councilwoman in Atlanta, Georgia, representing Post 2 At Large. Norwood was elected to the Atlanta City Council in 2001.-2009 Atlanta mayoral election:...

 in the mayoral election that Kasim Reed

Kasim Reed

Mohammed Kasim Reed, known as Kasim Reed, is a Democratic politician and the 59th Mayor of Atlanta, who previously represented the 35th District of the Georgia State Senate. He was a member of the Georgia House of Representatives from 1998 to 2002...

 won.

Community involvement

Controversy surrounded Thomas in 2007 when the successor to the Atlanta Empowerment Zone, ACoRA (Atlanta Coordinating Responsible Authority), recommended a grant of $109,000 to GVCOP to help fund after-school programs while GVCOP director Thomas was a member of the ACoRA grant evaluation committee. According to ACoRA, Thomas recused herself from the discussions and voting on issues involving GVCOP.

Thomas is involved with revitalization efforts in "The Bluff"

The Bluff (Atlanta)

The Bluff is an approximately 1.5-mile-square neighborhood northwest of Downtown Atlanta. The Bluff is bounded by Donald L. Hollowell Parkway to the north, Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. and the Atlanta University Center to the south, Northside Dr. and Downtown Atlanta to the east and Joseph E....

 (English Avenue

English Avenue (Atlanta)

The English Avenue is a neighborhood of Atlanta just west of the Georgia Dome and Downtown Atlanta. It is bordered:* on the east by Gray St., the Southern Railway North Avenue Yards Historic District and Downtown Atlanta...

/Vine City) neighborhoods on Atlanta's westside, as founder and director of the Greater Vine City Opportunities Program (GVCOP). As of 2011 GVCOP is raising funds to convert the former English Avenue Elementary School into a community center.