McDougall first ran for office in the
1969 Ottawa municipal election in
Rideau Ward, citing a "need for restructuring of our municipal government with a view to reducing its present cost and complexity". On election day, McDougall won a seat on city council, finishing in second place in the two-seat ward. In his term as alderman, McDougall spearheaded the creation of an air and water anti-pollution committee, of which he was made chairman. Soon after, he was accused of overstepping his authority as chairman after seeking to investigate effluent into the
Ottawa River by the
E. B. Eddy Company plant across the river in
Hull, Quebec, outside the city's jurisdiction. Following the announcement of the retirement of
George McIlraith, McDougall entered the race for the
Liberal nomination in
Ottawa Centre for the
1972 Canadian federal election. McDougall lost the nomination to
Hugh Poulin on the third ballot, 728 votes to 667. Poulin went on to win the seat in the October federal election. On September 5, 1972, McDougall was elected to the
Ottawa Board of Control, defeating his ward counterpart,
Des Bender after a 10-9 council vote. The seat had been vacated when
Claude Bennett had to resign due to a new provincial law prohibiting individuals from sitting on a municipal council and in the
Legislative Assembly of Ontario, which Bennett had won election to
in 1971. McDougall opted to run for a full-time spot on the board in the
1972 Ottawa municipal election. McDougall campaigned on not increasing taxes, "even if it means cutting back on some programs". He also continued to support a single-tier municipal government in the region, and an injection of federal and provincial funds to solve the city's water pollution problems. He also supporter an early start on rapid transit, and the preservation of the character and integrity of older neighbourhoods, but also avoid concentrating low-rental housing in large developments. In the election, McDougall finished in third spot on the four-seat board, electing him to a position. As a member of the board of control, he was involved in a number of controversial issues as chairman of the organization and procedures committee. He was responsible for new election expenses legislation, and new controls of the taxi industry. After sitting on the Board of Control for 2 years, McDougall opted to run for mayor in the
1974 Ottawa municipal election against fellow controller
Lorry Greenberg. Both McDougall and Greenberg ran on similar platforms, but were divided on transit, which became the focal point of the campaign. McDougall supported
rapid transit, while Greenberg preferred improved bus service, including exclusive busways and bus-only lanes. McDougall also campaigned on "[g]etting (the) board of control to function as a unit", environmental concerns, and opposed arterial roads being built through
Vanier and
Britannia. On election day, Greenberg defeated McDougall by less than 5,000 votes. ==Post defeat==