After more than two months of campaigning, the island team of Hilary Emmer and Bernie O’Malley are unofficial mayors of Vashon Island for the 2016-17 year.

The duo’s victory was announced Saturday night at the Strawberry Festival’s Beer Garden. Vashon-Maury Island Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Jim Marsh said that the two, who announced their intent to run in early May, raised more than $6,000 for the Vashon Senior Center. In this election, dollars are votes and islanders drop money into jars around town to support their candidates.

“Hilary and I started thinking this would be fun, would just be something to do,” O’Malley said Saturday night. “But then we got to know the senior center and realized they needed more exposure. Maybe 2,000 people gave us a couple bucks.”

More than $13,000 was raised in total by unofficial mayoral candidates. O’Malley and Emmer’s donations beat out The President of Me’s Rebecca Whitman, running to benefit the Vashon-Maury Heritage Association; Finn Judd, running on behalf of VARSA; Noodle the Sheep, running on the Vashon Youth & Family Services ticket; and Joe Theime, who gathered donations for Rj’s Kids.

“Whether you win or lose, it’s about supporting the organizations that make Vashon such a great place to live,” Marsh said.

Reached on Monday, senior center Executive Director Ava Apple expressed her appreciation.

“I am so grateful to Bernie and Hilary for doing this and raising this amount of money,” she said. “I am surprised and grateful to the community for being so supportive of the senior center.”

The money raised will go to two transportation programs the center launched last year. Bluebird Medical Transport, with six drivers, takes seniors to off-island medical appointments. So far this year, Apple said, it has provided rides for 101 appointments, up from 96 last year between April, when the program began, and December. Apple attributes part of the program’s growth to the recent uncertainty surrounding island health care. The other program, the lunch Care-a-Van, provides rides to the center for lunch and a chance to socialize three days a week. This program served 30 people last year and has a small core group that use the service every day it is offered. Both programs fill an important need, Apple said.

“It’s a senior center without walls concept,” Apple said. “We come to them.”