HARRISBURG -- Jefferson County businessman Joe Scarnati has mostly been a quiet backbencher since joining the state Senate six years ago, but he's about to move to the front chair and assume a louder voice.

That will happen Jan. 2, when his Senate colleagues officially tap the young Republican as president pro tem, replacing veteran Sen. Bob Jubelirer of Altoona, who's held the top post for most of the past 22 years.

The president pro tem plays a major role in shaping GOP policy in the Senate and deciding what bills to push regarding taxes, spending, education, transportation and other issues. He runs the chamber if the lieutenant governor is absent.

He becomes No. 2 in state government if the lieutenant governor, because of a governor's illness or other absence, moves up.

Mr. Scarnati, 44, who, with his family, ran a restaurant and motel in his home town of Brockway for several decades, spent 10 years on the town council before being elected to the Senate in 2000. The 29-member ruling Republican caucus in the Senate chose him as the new pro tem last week, making the Jan. 2 vote a formality.

He's the head of a relatively young leadership team, along with Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi, 49, of Delaware County, and Senate whip Jane Orie, 45, of McCandless.

Mr. Scarnati said he's still formulating views on major controversial issues, such as how to bring about more property tax relief and how to pay for fixing roads, bridges and mass transit.

But, in a meeting yesterday with Capitol reporters, he pledged himself to more openness in government.

"I favor transparency in government. What is there to hide?'' he said.

He said he learned the importance of openness when Brockway officials didn't give citizens enough information on some issues. That's why he ran for council and spent 10 years there. In 2000, he defeated incumbent GOP Sen. William Slocum, who had been convicted of environmental violations at a sewage treatment plant.

The new Senate leader pledged to avoid late-night, last-minute votes on important issues, such as happened in July 2004 with the slots bill, in July 2005 with the legislative pay raise, and again last week with a bill to let Pennsylvania casinos serve free liquor from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. every day.

"I will advocate that (such a thing) doesn't happen,'' he said.

As a longtime businessman, Mr. Scarnati said he was used to starting his workday about 9 a.m., a schedule he might push for Senate business. That would be a major change from the past. On most session days, the Senate doesn't even go into its closed party caucuses before mid-afternoon and serious business often doesn't begin until evening.

Mr. Scarnati said he is willing to re-open legislative discussions on one sticky subject -- property tax reduction. The Legislature this year approved a modest measure granting limited property tax relief of up to $650 a year to senior citizens with no more than $35,000 a year in income, but most middle-income homeowners weren't helped.

"Seniors are grateful for what we did, but Mary and Joe Smith won't see anything substantial" in terms of lower property taxes, he said. "They are being squeezed more and more."

He wouldn't say, however, whether he favors increasing the state sales tax or the personal income tax as a way of lowering property taxes, a procedure called tax shifting. He said he wants to see more emphasis placed on controlling state spending and school board spending before the Legislature decides to raise any taxes.

As for raising $1 billion or more funds for road and bridge repairs and mass transit, he wants to first explore selling or long-term leasing of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, which has been estimated at raising at least $3 billion. He said he doesn't want to hit residents with a 12.5-cent hike in the gasoline tax, one of the other recent recommendations of a transportation task force.