Representative Thompson is a tenth-term legislator and a former Mayor of Manchester. Currently he is an Assistant Majority Leader and is a member of the Select Committee on Children, Select Committee on Housing and Human Services Committee. Representative Thompson coordinated the Democratic response to welfare reform in the 1995-96 and 1997 sessions. He was also responsible in these sessions for the coordination of the House Democratic position on children’s issues, including the health care of children. He has continued on in a leadership role in welfare reform and children’s health issue and was instrumental in the development and implementation of the HUSKY insurance for low income children and their families.
Representative Thompson formerly served as the first chair of the Select Committee on Children. He also served as Chair of the task force, which created the Connecticut Healthy Family program, now known as Nurturing Connecticut, which provides early intervention services to at-risk families to prevent child abuse and neglect. A companion program, Healthy Start, which provides early intervention to at-risk pregnant women, was significantly expanded as a result of action recommended by Human services sub-committee, which Representative Thompson co-chaired with Senator Edith Prague (D–Columbia).
In 1998 the Connecticut Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics presented to Representative Thompson, the E. Maurice Wakeman Award in recognition of his “Commitment and dedicated service towards improving the lives of children and their families”. Mr. Thompson was the first recipient of this award. Also in 1998, Representative Thompson received the “Connecticut Primary Care Association’s Annual Award for Commitment to Community Health.” In 1999 Representative Thompson was the first recipient of the “First For Kids Award”, an award made in honor of recently deceased Dr. Albert J. Solnit, former Commissioner of Mental Health and Addiction Services by the Connecticut Voices for Children. The award recognized Representative Thompson’s leadership in improving mental health services for Connecticut’s children. In 2004 the National Association of Social Workers, Connecticut, honored Representative Thompson as Legislator of the Year.
Representative Thompson has been previously honored by human service organizations including: The Phoebe Bennet Award by the Connecticut Association of Mental Health Clinics for Children: Outstanding Contributions To Mental Health Services For Children, Connecticut Association of Human Services: Legislative Leadership award for Welfare Reform and Children’s issues. Connecticut Coalition for Children: 1992 Visionary Leadership Award for the Connecticut Child Plan. Family Services Agencies of Connecticut: Legislator of the Year, 1991. Connecticut Alliance for the Mentally Ill: Leadership Award, 1992.
Representative Thompson is a graduate of St. Michael’s College, Winooski Park, Vermont, BA Political Science, and the University of Connecticut, MA Political Science. With his late wife Bette Collins Thompson, he is the parent of five children and grandparent to six children. Mr. Thompson married Carol Shanley of Manchester in November 2005. He served with the First Marine Division in Korea in 1951-52. |
