Two months before Strawberry Festival, the race for unofficial mayor is no longer unopposed.

Carol Slaughter announced her candidacy this week. She’s representing the Vashon Senior Center, and said she intends to outdo her opponent, Vashon Pirates Youth Football Coach Paul Wallrof, in every way.

Slaughter is an ambitious woman, with deep roots in the community and the connections to prove it. She said she is deeply committed to the senior center, and she hopes others will vote for her as many times as possible before July 11.

Slaughter is on the senior center’s board and chairs its program committee, which organizes the center’s popular lunch program. The lunch program lost its funding at the end of last month — a blow, she said, to the center.

“We’ve had to raise prices and come up with a whole new program,” she said. “Fewer people come to lunch because they can’t afford to. The social nature of the meals, that’s the best part. That and a nutritional meal, which many seniors don’t do for themselves.”

She said votes contributed to her campaign would go back to the lunch program, which she said is an integral part of the senior center’s offerings.

As chair of the senior center’s program committee, Slaughter organizes fun day trips for seniors in the senior center’s 10-seater van.

“We take tours to Tacoma; I’m the authority on thrift shops and dollar stores,” she said. “And I’m taking them to the state capitol this month.”

Slaughter lives in Tahlequah, is the vice-president of the Southend Community Club and is in charge of its adopt-a-road program.

She is the “queen” of the Vashon Island Red Tide Red Hats, a social group of women aged 50 to 96 who gather for events as diverse as visits to The Worm Guy’s worm farm, picnics in the woods, playing cards or entertaining residents at the Vashon Community Care Center.

She has lived on the Island for 52 years. A retired athletic director, YWCA program manager and recreation therapist from Western State Hospital, she said there are several proclamations she would make if she were inaugurated mayor.

“I would like to see the Island get back to its name of Vashon Island rather than Vashon,” Slaughter said. “Vashon Island is many parts and the town is Vashon, but the rest of us don’t necessarily want to be considered Vashon.”

Additionally, she would ensure that speeding cars reduce their speeds.

“That’s a big problem in our community,” she lamented.

Living by the south end ferry, she said she often observes people in their cars waiting to get on the ferry using the road as their trash can — dumping out ashtrays and littering. Slaughter said she’d campaign heavily against that in her time in office.

However, “Queen Carol” said the senior center is the focal point of her campaign.

“Look for the ballot boxes soon,” she said. “We will be on the street corners.”

Slaughter’s supporters include a wide cross-section of the Vashon community.

Many employees at the Vashon Community Care Center have endorsed her: Susan Tuller, administrator; Naomi Goldick, manager of social work and volunteer services; Linda Milovsoroff, director of development; Jan James, activities coordinator; and Cara Aguilera, manager of Aspiri Gardens and Break Time.

The Red Tides Red Hats group wholeheartedly supports its fearless leader, as does the Southend Community Club, the Burton Business Association and Old & Funqui.

Individual Islanders have also indicated their support for Slaughter’s campaign, including therapist Stephen Bogan, author Judi Blaze, former Vashon Maury Island Land Trust executive director Julie Burman and president of the Keepers of Point Robinson Capt. Joe Wubbold.

Wallrof, who has his slate of supporters, said he has been friends with Slaughter for years and looks forward to the contest ahead.

“She’s tough,” he said. “It’ll be Obama/Hillary.”