Zach Iscol

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Zach Iscol
ZachIscol (cropped).png
Zach Iscol in 2016
Born1978 (age 43–44)
New York City, New York, US[1]
NationalityAmerican
Alma materCornell University
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)
Meredith Melling
​
(m. 2016)​
Children4
AwardsBronze Star Medal
WebsiteOfficial website

Zach Iscol (born 1978) is an American entrepreneur, non-profit executive, a United States Marine veteran, and politician.[2][3] He was a Democratic candidate in the 2021 New York City Comptroller election.[4]

Early life and education[]

Iscol was born in New York City, New York and grew up in Pound Ridge, New York.[1] He is Jewish.[5] His father, Ken, is a cellphone technology entrepreneur, and his mother, Jill, is an educator.[6][7]

He graduated Phillips Exeter Academy in 1997.[8][9] He graduated Cornell University in 2001 with a major in government and competed in lightweight football.[10][11]

Career[]

Military service[]

Iscol served two tours and fought in Iraq from 2001 to 2007 as a Captain in the U.S. Marine Corps, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines.[12][13][14] During his service in Iraq in the Iraq War, he fought on the front lines in the Second Battle of Fallujah, as commander of a combined action platoon composed of 30 U.S. Marines and 250 Iraqi soldiers.[15] He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for bravery in combat in that battle, with Combat-Distinguished V device, and the Combat Action Ribbon.[15] After returning from Iraq, he successfully lobbied to bring his threatened Iraqi translator to the United States.[16] In 2019, he was named to be one of five Grand Marshals leading the New York City Veterans Day Parade.[17]

He returned to Iraq to make a film, The Western Front, which was shown at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival, and explored in what ways the US changed its tactics in Iraq over time.[10] Iscol served as screenwriter, cast, director, and producer.[18]

Private sector[]

Iscol then launched the Headstrong Project in 2012. It is a New York City-based nonprofit organization that provides veterans and their families in 25 cities with free mental health care.[14] Therapy is confidential, free, and there is no application process.[19] It offers a number of treatments, including psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and virtual reality, and the number of sessions is open-ended – there are not any limits on frequency of care.[20] He is its former Chairman.[21]

He co-founded Task & Purpose in 2014, and Iscol is its CEO.[22] It is a military-focused digital media company, serving as a news outlet that provides reporting and perspectives on stories of interest to military members, veterans, and the broader American public.[23][21] Its parent company is Grid North Group.[22] In 2018 managing editor Adam Weinstein resigned after CEO Zachary Iscol requested that he change the title of a ProPublica investigation into undue influence over the Department of Veterans Affairs featured on the site.[24] Weinstein contended that Iscol strongly disagreed with both the title and the factual accuracy of the reporting done by ProPublica which Weinstein felt was undue influence on the publication's editorial independence. Weinstein also said that this was not the first time that management, specifically Iscol, had interfered in the editorial process in an effort to make the publication appealing to more conservative readers.[25]

In 2014 Iscol also founded and became CEO of Hirepurpose, a Manhattan-based company that supplies a hiring platform job website for former military service members, veterans, and spouses that provides them with career guidance and matches them with potential employers.[20]

Political career; mayoral and comptroller campaigns[]

Iscol served as a Deputy Director of a temporary field hospital in the Javits Center during the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City in the spring of 2020.[14][21]

Main article: 2021 New York City Democratic mayoral primary

Iscol was one of a number of candidates looking to succeed New York City mayor Bill de Blasio, launched his campaign in the 2021 New York City Democratic mayoral primary on October 21, 2020, and was initially entered in the June 22, 2021, Democratic primary.[26][27] He proposed involving the New York City tech community in educating young students, involving the real estate industry in providing affordable housing in properties left vacant by COVID-19, bolstering restaurants by waiving fines except for the worst violations, and keeping the subway closed down every night for cleaning.[28] Iscol said that post-pandemic, the city would need programs to educate New Yorkers about mental health and to effectively address mental illness.[14] New York City's last mayor with a military background was David Dinkins, a Marine veteran who was mayor from 1990 to 1993.[11] Iscol's campaign staff included Joe Trippi, a national political strategist.[21] As of mid-January 2021, he had raised more than $746,000 from donors, spent just over $261,000 on his campaign, and had about $485,000 left.[29]

Main article: 2021 New York City Comptroller election

On January 26, 2021, Iscol filed paperwork to drop out of the mayor’s race, and run instead in the 2021 New York City Comptroller election.[4][30] The NYC Comptroller is the watchdog responsible for auditing the financial performance of all city agencies, reviewing all city contracts, and managing the large city pension funds, and had a staff of about 800 people and a budget of over $100 million.[31] Iscol will be able to use the money he raised while he ran for mayor in the comptroller’s race.[32] As of the end of January, he was the second-biggest fundraiser in the race.[33]

Iscol said his goal was to help the city recover economically from the pandemic, focusing on the performance of city agencies.[32] He also said he would require companies that contract with New York City to describe their commitment to the five boroughs, and that he would push to reinvest some pension fund monies in local job creation.[31] Hillary Clinton said: "I’ve known Zach Iscol for over two decades, and he comes at everything from the mind-set of 'How do we bring resources and assets together to solve problems and address inequities.' He’s done it at the community level, the national level and in combat zones. He's got a big heart and is indefatigable when he puts his mind to something."[32]

Candidates who raised at least $125,000 from at least 500 donors qualified for matching city funds from the New York City Campaign Finance Board, on an 8-to-1 match basis.[34] As of February 16, 2021, he was one of three candidates who had qualified for matching funds, along with Brian Benjamin and Brad Lander.[34] On June 15, 2021, he was endorsed by The New York Post.[35]

Personal life[]

Iscol lives in NoHo in Manhattan with his wife, former Vogue editor Meredith Melling whom he married in 2016, and their four children.[36][28]

References[]

  1. ^ a b "2019 UWVC Veterans Day Parade – Meet the Grand Marshals". United War Veterans Council.
  2. ^ "Zack Iscol, Veteran and Entrepreneur, Joins NYC Mayor's Race," U.S. News & World Report, October 20, 2020.
  3. ^ Jeff Coltin (December 31, 2020). "The major 2021 mayoral contenders". City & State.
  4. ^ a b William Engel (January 28, 2021). "Zach Iscol Changes Lanes from Mayoral Race to Comptroller Race". New York County Politics.
  5. ^ "Zachary Iscol '97. Remarks at the John Phillips Award assembly," October 27, 2017, exeter.edu.
  6. ^ Chizzik, Danielle Stein (May 11, 2016). "Meredith Melling and Zach Iscol Have Made Service a Family Affair; The T&C 50: The couple are working to get top notch mental health care to veterans". Town & Country.
  7. ^ "US Marine vet with ties to Clintons may run for NYC mayor". 1010 WINS. August 1, 2020.
  8. ^ "NCCS Grad, Zach Iscol '94 to Lead NYC Veteran's Day Parade; The marine veteran is the founder of three organizations serving post-9/11 veterans". Patch. November 8, 2019.
  9. ^ Melanie Wilson (October 29, 2017). "Zachary Iscol '97 receives the 2017 John Phillips Award; Combat-decorated former Marine Corps officer was honored for his efforts to help veterans gain access to quality mental health care and employment". Phillips Exeter Academy.
  10. ^ a b Burstein, David D. (January 13, 2011). "Change Generation: Zach Iscol, Writer, Director, and Producer, The Western Front". Fast Company.
  11. ^ a b Sisk, Richard (December 17, 2020). "From Fallujah to City Hall: A Marine's Uphill Run to Be Mayor of New York". Military.com.
  12. ^ Marsh, Julia (July 31, 2020). "Decorated combat vet with ties to Hillary Clinton considering NYC mayoral bid". The New York Post.
  13. ^ Michael Rock (October 22, 2020). "Iscol Continues Public Service Career with Run for Mayor". New York County Politics.
  14. ^ a b c d Shanel Dawson (December 19, 2020). "Meet the Candidate: Former Marine Zach Iscol Talks Police Reform, Mental Health and Pandemic Recovery". NY1.
  15. ^ a b "THE PLIGHT OF IRAQI REFUGEES; HEARING before the COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY, UNITED STATES SENATE, ONE HUNDRED TENTH CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION". www.govinfo.gov. January 16, 2007.
  16. ^ "Marine Wins Personal Iraq Battle; After aiding the U.S. military, an Iraqi translator seeks refuge in New York". ABC News. November 2, 2007.
  17. ^ "Zachary Iscol on veterans and mental health". FOX News. November 7, 2019.
  18. ^ "The Western Front | 2010 Tribeca Film Festival". Tribeca Film.
  19. ^ "The Headstrong Project heals hidden wounds". Cornell University. November 8, 2016.
  20. ^ a b Beth Saulnier (April 2014). "Soldier's Heart". Cornell Alumni Magazine.
  21. ^ a b c d Jeff Coltin (October 23, 2020). "Zach Iscol wants to be a cross between Bloomberg and de Blasio". City & State.
  22. ^ a b "About Task & Purpose". taskandpurpose.com. April 9, 2019.
  23. ^ Murphy, Jarrett (November 12, 2020). "Meet the Former Marine and the Brooklyn Councilmember Who Are Running for Mayor". City Limits.
  24. ^ Nover, Scott (August 15, 2018). "A Popular Military Website Is Attacked From the Right". www.theatlantic.com. The Atlantic. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
  25. ^ Levine, Jon. "Military Veterans' News Site's Top Editor Quits, Says He Faced Pressure to Be 'Less Liberal'". www.thewrap.com. The Wrap. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
  26. ^ Max, Ben (November 12, 2020). "Max & Murphy Podcast: Zach Iscol is Running for Mayor". Gotham Gazette.
  27. ^ "Zach Iscol, Veteran And Entrepreneur, Joins Crowded NYC Mayoral Race; Iscol, the former Marine who spent time in Iraq and later founded a mental health program for veterans, becomes the latest to enter the mayor race". NBC News. October 20, 2020.
  28. ^ a b Marsh, Julia (November 1, 2020). "Ex-Marine runs for NYC mayor vowing budget discipline, private partnerships". The New York Post.
  29. ^ Samar Khurshid (January 18, 2021). "Major Financial Disparities in City's Large Mayoral Field". City Limits.
  30. ^ "Iscol to drop out of mayors race; jump into ring for comptroller". Politico. January 26, 2021. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  31. ^ a b Gwynne Hogan (February 5, 2021). "$100 Million Dollar Budget And The Power of Oversight — What Is A Comptroller & Why Should You Care?". Gothamist.
  32. ^ a b c Mays, Jeffery C. (January 27, 2021). "One Candidate Leaves Crowded Mayor's Race. One From 'Housewives' Joins". The New York Times.
  33. ^ David Cruz and Jake Dobkin (January 29, 2021). "Crunching The Numbers: Who's Making Bank In The Comptroller's Race?". Gothamist.
  34. ^ a b "City Doles Out Historic Sum Of Taxpayer-Funded Campaign Cash". Gothamist. February 16, 2021.
  35. ^ Post Editorial Board (June 14, 2021). "The Post's ranked picks for NYC comptroller: Zach Iscol, three other qualified candidates". The New York Post.
  36. ^ Marsh, Julia (October 19, 2020). "Combat vet makes City Hall bid official, rips de Blasio's competency". The New York Post.

External links[]

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