Rochester blogger-journalist (blogalist?) Michael Caputo asks, today, whether the fast ferry embarrassment will cast a pall over other local spending initiatives.

He interviewed former Monroe County legislator Bill Benet, a Democrat, about the Renaissance Square project. If you’re not from around these parts, Renaissance Square comprises a new downtown bus terminal, a new downtown community college campus, and a new downtown performing arts center. Price tag estimate $230 million.

Caputo summarizes some of Benet’s comments:

Benet said that no one has described how the county and the Rochester-Genesee Regional Transportation Authority might cover increased operating costs to operate the service through such a facility. And no one has explained if government would be willing to (gasp) subsidize a performing arts center if the money it makes can’t match the money it spends.

This is as good a place as any to mention that Renaissance Square received national blogosphere attention last fall when a letter from WHAM reporter Evan Dawson was published on Instapundit.

Instapundit, if you haven’t heard, backs a blog-driven initiative intended to curb pork barrel spending.

Dawson’s letter notes that “elected leaders” have tied the Renaissance Square arts center to the bus terminal in order to make it eligible for transportation earmarks.

Yeah, I know that’s how politics works.

But the result is that politicans are unlikely to consider the merits of each component of Renaissance Square separately, which bothers me.

More of my thoughts on Renaissance Square here.