Zach Iscol served as a marine for two tours in Iraq, and now he’s a Democratic candidate for city comptroller.

He said his time in the military has prepared him to lead the city at a crucial time.

"I'm very proud not only in combat, but out of combat, I have never left anyone behind, and I fear that our city is leaving far too many New Yorkers behind,” Iscol said on NY1 Thursday. 

“It is the number one job of comptroller to make sure that the city is not leaving anyone behind, to make sure our dollars are spent well and that the city is doing its job to make sure that we're focused on outcomes and solving big problems throughout the city,” he continued.

Iscol said that the city needs to rethink the audit function so that it’s not examining an agency singularly, but instead taking on a holistic approach.

“We know that the problems the city is facing are deeply interconnected, and they require synchronization and coordination of efforts,” Iscol said.

“So whether it’s talking about making sure kids are reading at grade level by third grade, whether it’s talking about taking on homelessness, whether it’s talking about public safety, it’s really about making sure that we are auditing how the whole government is working together,” he said.

Iscol originally had planned to run for mayor, but switched to the comptroller's race in January.

In his post-military life, Iscol launched the nonprofit Headstrong Project to support veteran mental health. He also served as deputy director of the Javits Center field hospital last year.

Iscol joined “Mornings On 1” as part of a series of interviews with candidates for city comptroller.