The Town of Harrison is governed under the Faulkner Act (Mayor-Council) system of municipal government.

The Town of Harrison is divided into four electoral wards, with each ward represented by two council members, with a total of eight council members on the Town Council. Each ward is divided into three districts, for a total of 12 electoral districts in Harrison.

The head of the government is the Mayor. The Mayor chairs the Town Council and heads the municipal government. The Mayor may both vote on legislation before the Council and veto ordinances. The Mayor's veto can be overruled by 3/4 of the Town Council voting to overrule the veto.

Town Council meetings are held on the first Tuesday of the month at 7:00 pm (except in July and August, when no meetings are held), in Council Chambers, which is located on the second floor of the Town Hall at 318 Harrison Avenue. Public Caucus Meetings are held at 6:30 pm in Room 303.

Local representation

The current Mayor and Council members are:

Mayor Raymond J. McDonough

1st Ward: Jesus Huaranga and Caroline Mandaglio
2nd Ward: Anselmo Milan and Maria McCormick
3rd Ward: Laurence Bennett and Francisco Nascimento
4th Ward: James Doran  and Michael Dolaghan

Harrison had one of the longest-serving mayors in American history, Frank E. Rodgers, who was first elected in 1946, defeating incumbent Frederick J. Gassert who had served for sixteen years, and served for 48 years, from 1947 to 1995, being elected to 24 two-year terms. He also served one term in the New Jersey State Senate, from 1979 to 1983.[12]

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