Between 1997 and 2001 he was a member of the District Assembly Wandsbek (focus: youth welfare, culture and finance, business and transport).
He was also a member of the Supervisory Committees Letter, Postal and Telecommunications Secrecy, Housing Surveillance and Protection of the Constitution.
In the election in February 2011, Dressel was re-elected as leading SPD candidate of the constituency of Alstertal-Walddörfer.
In the state election on 15 February 2015, Dressel again won a direct mandate in the constituency Alstertal-Walddörfer.
[1] Dressel had been considered by many as obvious successor of Olaf Scholz as Mayor of Hamburg,[2] but declined for personal reasons.