The Deval Patrick comedy show continues.

Governor Deval Patrick announced plans this afternoon to convene a task force to address the rash of ethics and legal issues unfolding around Beacon Hill.

The special commission will be headed by Ben Clements, the governor's legal counsel. Patrick said he wants action within 30 days of the start of the legislative session in January on a package of reforms designed to change the current political culture.

Specifically, Patrick plans to direct Clements to lead a review on what can be done to address the kinds of ethical and legal issues faced by state Senator Dianne Wilkerson and other prominent legislators.

“In a successful democracy, the currency of government is not money. It’s integrity,” Patrick said in a statement. "We in public office are not entitled to our positions. We are placed here by voters to do the best we can on their behalf. And we are expected to conduct their business honestly and openly.”

Patrick also outlined a need to change the system of home-rule petitions, which require legislative approval on an array of local issues that can range from liquor licenses to restrictions on farm odors. Home-rule petitions are often used by lawmakers as bargaining chips, Patrick said. In August, business at the State House was brought to a standstill for two weeks by two lawmakers locked in a hard-nosed debate over whether to grant a liquor license to a supermarket in the town of Westwood.

The exact make up and size of the panel has not yet been decided. But the governor is said to favor having the majority of its members from outside the state's political culture. His aides are expected to reach out to former attorney general Scott Harshbarger, Common Cause executive director Pamela Wilmot, and former prosecutors.

Clements, a former federal prosecutor in Boston who worked as legal adviser for the campaign, is a personal confidant of Patrick’s whom he consulted when first deciding to mount a campaign for governor. Patrick met Clements when both worked at the law firm of Hill & Barlow in the 1990s.

It almost makes you want to see Obama win just to get this dude out of here.

UPDATE: More from the Herald.