Vandemeulebroek became a communal councilor in 1907, and in 1912 became "échevin" of Public Instruction in Laeken. During World War I, he volunteered as a military doctor and served as part of the 6th Regiment of Artillery. When the commune of Laeken was annexed by the City of Brussels in 1921, he became a communal councilor in Brussels and, from 1930 until 1939, "échevin" of Public Works. As vice-president of the 1935 Brussels "Exposition universelle", he continued his work promoting public works, and the "Grand Palais du Centenaire" and reordering of the Heysel Plateau date to this period.