The captain of the Pitman Police Department and a public relations professional from Glassboro are the choices of the Gloucester County Democratic Executive Committee to be the party's two candidates for freeholder this fall.

Robert Zimmerman and Heather Simmons were selected by the committee Saturday following interviews with 17 individuals interested in representing the Democrats as freeholder hopefuls.

"They rose to the top," county Democratic Chairman Michael Angelini said of the pair.

The selections will be presented to Democratic committeemen and committeewomen in the county later this week for their endorsement.

The pair are seeking to succeed Democrats Joseph Brigandi and Jean DuBois as freeholders. Brigandi, of Glassboro, and DuBois, of Mullica Hill, announced recently they would not seek re-election to the all-Democratic freeholder board. Both cited family reasons in their decisions not to seek new terms.

Zimmerman, a member of the Mantua Township committee, said he was "excited and looking forward to the opportunity" for his first countywide bid for elected office.

Simmons, who has never before run for elected office, said "it's a great honor to be in the position to serve."

Simmons made her pitch for one of the freeholder nominations in the morning and headed home.

She received a call from a county executive board member to return a second time.

"My heart was pounding out of my chest," she remarked during the drive.

Back before the board, Simmons was told she was one of the executive committee's two choices.

"We will make a fabulous ticket," she said of herself and Zimmerman.

"Those who know me know I have a very strong drive and a very strong work ethic," Zimmerman suggested.

Zimmerman was hired by Pitman as a police dispatcher in June 1990. He joined the force as a patrolman in 1991 and made captain in March 1999. As captain, he also served as acting chief.

The Gloucester County College and Rowan University graduate served on the Mantua Township Board of Education from 2003 to 2008 and was its president in 2008. He resigned from the board of education after being appointed to the township committee. Zimmerman won a one-year unexpired term on the committee in 2008 and was elected to a three-year term in 2009. If elected freeholder, he would have to resign as a committeeman.

Simmons was valedictorian of the Class of 1991 at St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia. She has a master's degree from Rowan. She has operated her own public relations firm, Heather Simmons Communications, since 2004.

Angelini suggested the Democrats "had a number of people we could have picked" from among the 17 hopefuls.

Among the 15 who did not make it were several the Democrats were not aware had political aspirations, he said. Several might be asked to run for municipal seats this fall, Angelini suggested.

The county Republican organization has selected Larry Wallace of Woolwich Township Ð who has run for freeholder twice before Ð and political newcomer Vincent Nestore of Deptford Township as its candidates. Two others have expressed interest in running for GOP freeholder nominations, opening the possibility for a primary race.

GOP Chairman William Fey previously said Nestore and Wallace "will not be intimidated" by the 7-0 Democratic control of the freeholder board.

Angelini, whose party has not lost a countywide election while he has been chairman, suggested the Democrats "will not be outworked" in the freeholder race.