After leaving Fianna Fáil, Mr Thomas ran for Independent Ireland in June’s local elections and topped the poll in the Connemara South LEA.
“I have been active in my community for over 25 years, and I know the challenges facing the people of Galway West because I live with these issues every day. Galway has been overlooked for too long,” he said.
“We haven’t had a senior representative in government for decades, and it shows. Successive governments have failed us, driving our people away from their hometowns and into overcrowded cities. This must change. We need a reset for Galway West.”
Mr Thomas resigned from Fianna Fáil after facing disciplinary action for comments he made in the wake of a fire that destroyed the Ross Lake House Hotel in Rosscahill on the night of Saturday, December 16.
The hotel had been earmarked to house asylum seekers. Following the fire, Mr Thomas said Ireland can no longer accommodate refugees as “the inn is full”.
Councillor Seamus Walsh was also critical of the Government following the fire and resigned from Fianna Fáil, and he too faced disciplinary action.
Mr Walsh joined Mr Thomas in running for re-election for Independent Ireland in the local elections and retained his seat in Connemara North.
There was a heated phone call between Mr Thomas and Tánaiste and Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin the night after the fire took place. Mr Martin deemed the comments made by both councillors “completely unacceptable”.
“I do not agree with what those councillors have said. I take strong issue with the nuance and the implications of what they’ve said.”
The comments made by both councillors were referred to Fianna Fáil’s internal rules and procedures committee. Possible sanctions included losing the party whip or being removed from the party.
Speaking to RTÉ’s News At One following his resignation, Mr Thomas said the disciplinary action he faced was “partly” responsible for his decision to leave the party.
“As far as I’m concerned I think the main political parties Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, Sinn Féin included and the Green Party seem to have become very detached from the ordinary person as far as I’m concerned and I suppose that’s been eating away at me for some time,” he said.
“I suppose I was holding on all the time in the hope that some members of the Dáil would actually kick back against the leadership that was there and maybe try and get things to change but anyway, that never happened.”
He said nobody in Fianna Fáil had contacted him to inform him of the disciplinary action and he learned of it “on the airwaves” before receiving an email from the party.
Independent Ireland was founded in November of last year by Cork South-West TD Michael Collins and Limerick TD Richard O’Donoghue.
The party is led by Mr Collins and added a third TD to its ranks when Michael Fitzmaurice from Roscommon-Galway joined in February.
Former RTÉ midlands correspondent Ciaran Mullooly won a seat for Independent Ireland in the recent European elections.
