The Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) officially recognizes Ada resident, Richard Gainey, as Santa Claus.

The BMV recently picked Gainey’s license plate “ST NIK” as its fifth “What’s on Your Plate?” winner.

Gainey will soon be featured on the BMV’s Web site, Facebook and Twitter pages. He will also receive a decorative license plate with the personalization of his choice.

“Santa” Gainey, was selected for his personalized plate “ST NIK.” In his other life, he is a Professor of Multimedia Journalism at Ohio Northern University. 

He is the past President of the Buckeye Santas, a group of more than 100 "real bearded Santas" in Ohio who meet for "lunch and learning" 10 months out of the year.

The runner-up is Terry Fitzpatrick. His historical license plate is ZEBRA 3 and has been registered on a 1976 Ford.

The BMV invites Ohio drivers who have a unique personalized license plate to send a photo of you with your personalized license plate and a brief summary of how you chose your plate’s message.

Email the photo and summary to [email protected] and you could be featured on BMV’s Facebook page and BMV’s official website. You could also win a decorative plate award with the personalization of your choice. Plates must be current and valid.  Winners will be selected quarterly.