On 3 April 1990 Bodelan was elected member of the Odessa Oblast "Soviet" (council). He was later elected a chairman of this council and was occupying this position up to April 1998. Simultaneously, Bodelan was a head of Odessa Oblast State Administration (i.e. governor) in July 1995 – May 1998, member of the Verkhovna Rada (parliament) of Ukraine in 1994–1998, a member of Maritime Policy Commission under President of Ukraine in 1995–1998, head of the Commonwealth of Danube States' Executive Group in 1996–1997.