For the council election, he will line up under the Greater Dunedin banner with mayoral candidate Cr Dave Cull and Crs Kate Wilson and Chris Staynes and four or five other candidates expected to be announced in the next week.
Mr Thomson said yesterday he had observed the three Greater Dunedin councillors during the last term and appreciated their reasoned and principled approach to arguments such as that over the stadium.
But the lack of rigour around some of the existing council's decision-making concerned him.
"If you really wanted to spend $200 million, then you need to have a bloody good analytical process around what you are going to spend it on."
There needed to be a long-term sustainable vision, not just picking up a proposal because it happened to come along.
He could see logic in having a group of councillors who could work together on some key issues, but there might be other issues where members would vote on opposite sides.
As someone who had spent 11 years on the district health board and its predecessor, the area health board, "where we've had to search desperately for every cent of saving", he did not have the sense the council administration had been through that same kind of exercise.
It needed to do so and he would be pushing hard for much greater scrutiny of council spending, so administrative costs and the resultant burden on ratepayers was minimised.
Mr Thomson said he was not afraid to hold management accountable and he had a track record of clear communication and a commitment to openness.
He served seven years as Otago District Health Board chairman before being sacked by Health Minister Tony Ryall last year when the minister was seeking board accountability for the $16.9 million IT Services fraud.
Because he was also an elected member of the board, he has continued to serve and is still undecided whether to stand in the first election for the Southern District Health Board this year.
Four board members will be elected from Otago and three from Southland.
Mr Thomson said some people were encouraging him to consider standing and there was such a synergy in issues affecting the council, the board and the university that he could see the value in having some cross representation.
He was looking at how other people managed when they served on more than one elected body, but would also have to consider the impact on his business.
He is the managing-director and co-founder of the nationwide chain of gift and homeware stores Acquisitions.
Cr Cull said he would have been delighted to have Mr Thomson, with his record of public service, standing for the council regardless of whether he had joined his team.
He would be a real asset on the council.
Nominations for the October 9 local body elections open on July 23.
