CLEVELAND, Ohio - A doctor from Rocky River is quietly gearing up for a surprise run for governor, collecting petition signatures for filing and funneling more than $1 million of his own money into a campaign account.

Dr. Jon Heavey is a physician at the Cleveland Clinic. Heavey declined to comment, except to confirm that he had put $1.5 million into a campaign account called Friends of Jon Heavey and to provide the language on his petitions for governor.

"Jon Heavey is a physician in Cleveland with experience in venture capital and new company creation," Heavey's petition reads. "He is an infantry veteran, and he's running for Governor to help drive economic growth, fix healthcare, and provide solutions to the growing opioid crisis."

Heavey is operating outside any party power structure for the moment. Ohio Democratic Party Chairman David Pepper said he doesn't know Heavey well, but said he has seen him "in passing."

"Obviously when someone files saying they're giving themselves $1.5 million to run for governor, you want to know them," Pepper said. "I'm looking forward to sitting down and meeting him, but I don't know much else besides that at this point."

If Heavey decides to run, he is a political unknown, but would control a significant amount of money in a crowded Democratic primary.

The $1.5 million cash on hand would put him in second place among Democrats who have reported. Former federal consumer watchdog Richard Cordray currently leads the pack with $2 million cash on hand.

Money alone won't get Heavey into the race. The $1.5 million is a loan to the campaign and could be refunded to Heavey at any time.

Assuming he plans to run, Heavey would need to collect and file petition signatures as well as name a running mate all before the Feb. 7 deadline.

Biographical details on Heavey were largely searchable on the internet.

A Google search for Jon Heavey returned the website www.jonheavey.com, which is now offline. A cached version of the website exists, which includes a banner that says "Heavey for Governor" and a disclaimer about campaign contribution limits in Ohio.

The website also mentions patents, but does not include information on what kind of patents.

Heavey's Cleveland Clinic profile states he graduated from Dartmouth College with a bachelor's degree in engineering before attending medical school at Vanderbilt University. The profile says he has a master's in business administration from Yale University.

The clinic did not respond to a request for comment.

Heavey's LinkedIn profile said in addition to working as a physician, he also was the director of business development and lists a stint in the Army as a major and a physician at Walter Reed Hospital.

An article in Dartmouth Alumni Magazine posted by a Jon Heavey included much of the biographical data as the clinic website and his LinkedIn.