Man named Santa Claus elected to North Pole city council

File photo courtesy: Santa Claus/Facebook

Wednesday, October 14, 2015, 3:58 PM - No, this is not a joke. There is a real man whose legal name is Santa Claus, and he was recently elected to sit on the city council for an Alaskan town called North Pole. Yes, this is an actual picture of him, taken from his Facebook page.

Mr. Claus won after no other candidates filed for the two open council seats.

According to the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, Claus initiated a write-in campaign two weeks before the October 6 election took place.

He took to the streets, dressed in a red velvet suit with a campaign sign that read: "Where the spirit of Christmas lives year round."

Claus legally changed his name from Thomas Patrick O'Connor in 2005 and moved to North Pole in 2013, Reuters reports.

RELATED: First snow of the season to fall this weekend. Here's where.

He received 58 write-in votes from the town of 2,200, earning him a spot on the six-member City Council.

Elyse Dawson, who also launched a write-in campaign, came in second with 29 votes.

North Pole city clerk Kathy Weber told the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner she was relieved the council seats were filled.

"It was a godsend," she told the publication.

"I'm really happy with the candidates we did get. I think Santa Claus and Elyse Dawson will be great."

This isn't the first time Santa Claus has gotten involved in politics: A Facebook video shows him announcing his candidacy for U.S. president back in 2012.

Source: Fairbanks Daily News-Miner | Reuters

RELATED VIDEO: SANTA GETS A MAKEOVER: