HEARD AROUND TOWN

HEARD AROUND TOWN: * New York City Public Advocate Letitia James has begun to fill out her office, hiring Ibrahim Khan, a communications consultant with the MirRam Group, as her chief of staff. James also brought aboard several members from her City Council staff, including press secretary Aja Worthy-Davis. James' office is expected to have 25 to 30 paid employees and dozens of unpaid volunteers, equaling the number of staff that Mayor Bill de Blasio had as public advocate. In addition to his campaign work for James and former mayoral candidate Bill Thompson, Khan brings solid government experience to James' staff, having previously worked as deputy chief of staff for state Sen. Adriano Espaillat and having played a key role in Espaillat's congressional campaign that nearly unseated Rep. Charles Rangel. "I couldn't be more thrilled to lead Public Advocate Letitia James' team," Khan said in a statement. "I've seen first-hand how passionately Tish fights on behalf of working people all over New York and why she's distinguished herself as one of the most fierce progressive champions in the country."