Boston City Councillor Michael F. Flaherty is joining the chorus calling for the complete translation of election ballots into Chinese in certain precincts.

Secretary of State William Galvin recently raised questions about transliterating the names of candidates into Chinese characters, saying that it was an arbitrary process that could lead to confused translations.

But Flaherty says that making the ballots completely bilingual is crucial.

"We should be spearheading efforts to eliminate language barriers that have hampered the voting process," he said in a statement. "Instead some are pushing a system that unfairly penalizes those citizens who do not have a firm grasp on the English language. How can we defend the current electoral system when we have thousands of Chinese-Americans unable to comprehend the candidates for which they can vote?"

Activists from Boston's Chinese community descended on the State House today to ask Galvin to fully transliterate the ballots.

By Donovan Slack, Globe Staff

Boston's housing chief said today that she is resigning to take a position with the administration of Governor Deval Patrick.

Charlotte Golar Richie, director of the city's Department of Neighborhood Development, will become Patrick's senior advisor for federal, state and community affairs.

"This is a tremendous honor and terrific opportunity to continue to serve the people of this great city and now the Commonwealth of Massachusetts," she said in a telephone interview.

Golar Richie, who was a state representative before taking a job with Mayor Thomas M. Menino's administration in 1999, oversaw the development of more than 4,000 units of affordable housing in the city.

"This whole process that's unfolding is a bit bittersweet," Golar Richie said. "I have throroughly enjoyed my time working with Mayor Menino. We've done a lot. We are a great team."

Menino yesterday called Golar Richie a "trusted leader" in his administration.

"We will miss her but know she will be a great addition to the Patrick Administration in helping the Governor accomplish his goals and vision for the future of the Commonwealth,” the mayor said in a statement.

Golar Richie said she expects to begin work at the State House on Aug. 20.

The hand-written sign has been up for months. But this weekend, it will become official.

On Saturday at noon, Southie leaders will gather at the Broadway T Station to officially dedicate the Jimmy Kelly Bridge, previously known as the Broadway Bridge.

Kelly, a pugnacious defender of South Boston who served on the Boston City Council for 23 years, died in January at age 66.

The race is five months away, and the field is not yet completely set. Still, the first forum for candidates running for an at-large seat on the Boston City Council is planned for tonight.

Hosting the event is the city's Ward 5 Democratic Committee, which includes the Back Bay and Beacon Hill. Each candidate will be given three minutes to present their qualifications, followed by five minutes of questioning. After the forum, the committee will consider possible endorsements of one or more of the candidates.

Candidates who have taken out papers for the race for four seats include all four incumbents (Felix D. Arroyo, Michael F. Flaherty, Stephen J. Murphy, and Sam Yoon), as well as John R. Connolly, William P. Estrada, Matthew Geary, Martin J. Hogan, and David James Wyatt

The forum starts at 7 p.m., at the Community Church of Boston, 565 Boylston St.

By Donovan Slack, Globe Staff

William "Bo" Holland, the city's director of intergovernmental relations and a longtime friend of Mayor Thomas M. Menino, died this morning after a long battle with cancer, city officials said.

Holland was a trouble shooter for Menino and had been in charge of negotiating the mayor's relationships with state and federal governments since massive cuts in state and federal aid in 2003 triggered one of the most difficult fiscal situations of Menino's tenure.