Prior to his tenure as mayor he was active in local politics with him serving on the school board and the city council.

After serving in the United States Air Force he moved to Burlington, Vermont, where he would enter politics.

During his childhood he traveled between Long Island, New York and Saigon, South Vietnam, due to his father's business.

Brownell won the Republican nomination to succeed her on the school board from the 6th district by a unanimous vote and defeated independent Hans J. Puck in the general election.

[8][9] He did not seek reelection as he wanted to spend more time with his family in 1985, and Elizabeth Van Buren, a member of the Democratic Party, was unopposed to succeed him.

[13][14] In 1989, David Thelander, a Republican member of the city council, resigned to work in Washington, D.C. for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

[15] Brownell received the Republican nomination and defeated Democratic and Progressive Coalition nominee Greg Guma in the special election.

Clavelle stated that he had lost due to him passing legislation to have Burlington pay for the health care benefits for domestic partners of city workers.

[47] Brownell proposed merging the police and fire departments in 1994, but the city council voted twelve to two against the measure.

[48] On September 27, 1993, the city council voted seven to four in favor of passing legislation to create a new tax to pay for a citywide recycling program.

All three Republican members of the city council voted against the tax and Brownell conducted his first veto in office against the legislation.

[38] In 1991, Brownell had considered running for a seat in the Vermont House of Representatives to succeed Helen Riehle.

Brownell lost renomination in the Republican primary after placing eighth out of eight candidates and it was stated that his defeat was caused by Stertzbach.

[64][65] Representatives John Edwards, Marion Milne, William Fyfe, and Robert Kinsey, who had also supported civil unions, also lost renomination.

[69] Brownell considered running for a seat in the United States House of Representatives from Vermont's at-large congressional district in the 2000 election.

[71][63] Brownell's wife served as chair of the Voter Registration Board for three months in 1996, until she was replaced by Kathleen Butler, a member of the Progressive Coalition.

Brownell voted against ending advertisement in the newspapers stating that it was government intrusion into a private business.

[81] Brownell and Senator Nancy Chard considered redistricting Vermont's school districts to decrease them from sixty-two to fourteen, which would have been one per county.

[82] The state senate voted seventeen to thirteen, with Brownell against, against legislation to amend the Constitution of Vermont to only allow marriages between one man and one woman.