Scarnati

HARRISBURG — The death of Lt. Gov. Catherine Baker Knoll has catapulted a former northwestern Pennsylvania restaurant owner who is fond of his small town roots into the state's second-highest elected post.

Sen. Joe Scarnati will pull double duty as Pennsylvania's lieutenant governor and the Senate's president pro tempore, his present job — forcing him to balance not only the demands of two branches of government, but the often-conflicting interests of Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell and the Republican Senate majority that he leads.

Knoll, 78, who had battled neuroendocrine cancer since July, died on Wednesday. She will have her casket displayed in the Pennsylvania Capitol on Nov 21-22 — just the second person to receive that honor in the current building — and will be buried Nov. 25 in a private service, state officials said.

Knoll died at the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Washington, D.C., where she had been recovering from a viral infection following her chemotherapy treatment.

On Thursday, a bouquet of flowers was arranged outside Knoll's Capitol office. The Rendell administration placed her portrait on display in the Capitol Rotunda, with the frame draped in a black cloth, and lowered flags to half-staff at all state buildings.

Scarnati's aides were making preparations Thursday for him to assume the duties of Knoll's office, but plans for his swearing-in ceremony had not been announced.

The Jefferson County Republican stayed in his rural district and kept a low profile Thursday out of respect for Knoll as messages of condolence continued to pour in for Pennsylvania's first female lieutenant governor.

"While I am proud to serve as the next lieutenant governor of the commonwealth, my emotions are significantly tempered due to the passing of Catherine Baker Knoll," Scarnati said Thursday in a statement.

At the Capitol, the second-term senator has been an advocate for business and conservative causes, and a frequent Rendell critic. In his statement, Scarnati said he believes he and Rendell can work together for the good of the state's residents.

Senate Democrats also regard Scarnati as someone they can work with.

"Joe Scarnati is my kind of person," said Minority Leader Robert J. Mellow, D-Lackawanna. "Very reasonable, a moderate, not an overly partisan person and he wants to get the job done."

Plain-spoken and usually accessible, Scarnati, 46, has said that his sensibilities are guided by his upbringing in an Italian-American family in a small town. He will add his new duties to an already full plate: He is the divorced father of three children, represents the state's biggest Senate district and manages the Senate's day-to-day operations.

The post of lieutenant governor is primarily ceremonial, and most people who have held the office played limited roles in policymaking.

In Knoll's case, she had little, if any, role in the Rendell administration. Primarily, she served her constitutional duties of wielding the gavel during Senate sessions and chairing the Board of Pardons.