Gloucester County would benefit from even slow progress toward a loyal opposition on the all-Democrat county freeholder board, but Republicans Ron Brittin and Chris Del Borrello are unprepared to be good freeholders.

Voters should choose instead incumbent Democrats Robert M. Damminger and Joe Chila for the two seats. They have experience, and they haven't committed any missteps serious enough to recommend replacing them with the two Republicans.

Brittin, of Mantua Township, entered the June primary because then-Republican gubernatorial hopeful Steve Lonegan wanted full slates in his battle against Chris Christie. Lonegan lost, but Brittin didn't. He emerged as one of the two winners of a six-way freeholder primary.

But Brittin has shown little enthusiasm for wanting to be a freeholder, both at a Times editorial board and in public forums. Though he can speak in generalities against high taxes and Democrat Party cronyism, he offers no apology for dealing in nothing but generalities.

"I don't think the average voter wants to hear ÔI have a specific plan.' They just want to know if this guy is capable of doing it."

With that view, Brittin sounds more like Christie than Lonegan, who had detailed tax-cut ideas. Voters may not want an item-by-item reconstruction of the county budget, but they need more to go on than Brittin and Del Borrello have supplied.

Del Borrello has the better excuse for not scrutinizing county programs and spending closely. He's one in a long line of county GOP replacement candidates, joining the ticket in September after another primary winner dropped out.

The Washington Township resident is a fresh face, maybe one to watch in the future. At age 25, Del Borrello has been active in a newly revived Young Republicans group a good place for the GOP to turn for candidates. He espouses reform ideas more eagerly than Brittin, including a call for a voter referendum on all spending above $5 million. But he still hasn't done sufficient homework for the job he seeks.

The contrast with Chila, of Woolwich Township, and Damminger, of West Deptford, is striking. While both might be called "back-benchers" on a board that is thoroughly dominated by Freeholder Director/state Sen. Stephen Sweeney, the Democrat duo is well-prepared. They also have a lengthy list of freeholder board accomplishments over the last three years.

Among them: Establishing the county's regional emergency medical service; starting the pilot program to put tax assessments on a countywide basis; continuing administrative consolidation at county educational facilities. These programs can save money and/or lives.

Chila made a bad choice to continue dual officeholding by running last year for township committee in Woolwich, where he is the mayor. That's not reason enough to dump him from the freeholder board, given the weak GOP field.

Damminger and Chila are the better candidates, and should be re-elected.