The heads of Harford County’s government were also at the head of its payroll in 2006, with the director of administration, county attorney and county treasurer taking the top three spots, according to county salary records The Examiner has obtained.

Lorraine Costello, director of administration for County Executive David Craig, was the highest-paid county employee, with $119,579 in gross wages for 2006.

A 16-year veteran of Harford’s government, Costello’s daily duties include coordinating 22 county departments and making the county executive’s will into reality. She began under County Executive Eileen Rehrmann in 1991 in the county budget office.

“I had to deal with every single department and know how they were funded, how they worked ... that was a great training ground for what I do now,” Costello said.

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Compared with her peers in other Baltimore suburbs, Costello’s spot at the top was unusual, even though her counterparts in other counties were generally paid more. In Howard, Carroll and Baltimore counties, other department heads earned more than the chiefs of staff or administrative officers who oversaw them all.

Harford County Attorney Robert S. McCord ranked second-highest at $117,551. The county attorney is appointed as a legal adviser and representative for the county in any court cases and McCord has served in that capacity since 2004. He was previously a deputy county attorney and served as a judicial law clerk for the county circuit court from 1989 to 1990.

Harford County Treasurer John Scotten was the third-highest paid employee. The longtime county employee could not be reached for comment because he attended a seminar in Anaheim, Calif on Tuesday.

“John’s been around since dirt,” Costello said.

(Click here to view the entire payroll file.)