Foreclosures increased in Dutchess County by 17.6 percent in 2012 from 2011. Of these 1,096 foreclosed properties, 154 came into county control and the county Legislature voted to place them up for public auction in an attempt to recoup unpaid taxes. By Real Property Tax Law the county acquired these properties through the in rem procedure for delinquency in paying property taxes. The occasion gave the Legislature one of several opportunities in recent months to discuss the poor economy and its effect on the housing market.A second opportunity came via a resolution that the town of Stanford passed. Stanford’s Town Board asked the county Legislature for permission to structure the payment of town and county taxes by installment for the ease and convenience of its residents. By present practice residents must pay their entire municipal taxes on Feb. 28, or face penalties. Taxpayers are not permitted to pay partial payments. State law allows first-class towns (determined by population and assessed valuation) to modify the payment schedule and to accept partial payments for which Hyde Park, Wappinger and the town of Poughkeepsie presently allow. In some cases taxpayers have until August to pay their government taxes, although interest charges apply.Stanford, which by designation is a second-class town, is dependent upon the will of the county Legislature to give its citizens the ability to make partial payments. Through a series of town meetings I attended in 2012, the Stanford Town Board voiced concerns that rising taxes were making it difficult for town residents to make timely tax payments (something for which the increased foreclosure rate evidences). Even though residents who choose to make partial payments would be subject to higher interest rates, the town asked the county to give them the right to collect partial payments.However, by state law, if the county acts it must adopt a whole new payment collection schedule that would be binding on all towns of the county, not just town specific. Before mandating this I spoke at the October Supervisors and Mayors Association to solicit feedback from local elected leadership. The response was mixed, with good reasons voiced on both sides. The outcome of the meeting was for local town officials to monitor the frequency of individual taxpayers who experience hardships with paying taxes in the coming tax season. At the same time the Legislature would seek state permission via a home rule request to allow second-class towns the ability to self-determine installment plans as presently enjoyed by first-class towns.Beyond these efforts, many banks currently offer federal assistance programs to struggling property owners to prevent foreclosure. Those facing hardships should ask their mortgage lender about Home Assistance Modification Programs (HAMP). Through a variety of federal programs borrowers may be able to lower their monthly payments and/or reduce interest rates. Go to www.MakingHomeAffordable.gov for details.Michael Kelsey represents the people of Amenia, Washington, Stanford, Pleasant Valley and Millbrook in the Dutchess County Legislature. Write him at KelseyESQ@yahoo.com. Read past blogs at blog.VoteMikeKelsey.com.
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Greg Fricke and James Boehmer, co-owners of Peggy Mercury in Kent, recently launched their first fashion line, “Imaginary Concerts.”
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Fricke and Boehmer are not there to stock their shelves with the same products customers find at standard makeup retailers. They’re there to help customers find what works for them. That usually means asking customers about themselves and learning about their beauty habits, skin, style and the way they like to present themselves. Fricke and Boehmer believe it’s their job to help customers bring out the qualities that suit them and determine what works best for their look.
So much of the Peggy Mercury world is about emboldening people to become more creative, and possibly bolder, versions of themselves. Some of this comes through the store’s creative collaborations with artists, designers and stylists.
It’s part of an ethos that encourages them and their friends to use the shop as a kind of laboratory, trying out new creative experiments without knowing how they might turn out. Whether in fashion, painting, fiber arts or photography, the projects almost always turn out marvelously.
A line of sterling silver charms they sell started as a small project by their friend Nolan Percival. In the beginning, the pieces were for close friends and loved ones. But Boehmer and Fricke encouraged Percival to get a little more serious about the project and create a whole line for the store. Today, it’s one of their top-selling collections.
Classic styles, bold colors, and creative concerts make up the “Imaginary Concerts” line at Peggy Mercury.Provided
“Imaginary Concerts” has the duo taking their own advice.
The project started as a way for Boehmer to connect with his mother, who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Taking old concert shirts from his own collection, Boehmer and his mother began cutting out the graphics with the idea that they would make a quilt together. Unfortunately, she died before they could complete the project in 2025. The pieces, which were ready for production, were put on the back burner as Boehmer and Fricke dealt with their loss and the whirlwind of projects that never seemed to cease at Peggy Mercury.
But the harsh winter of 2026 presented an opportunity to take some time and focus on themselves. Part of that meant revisiting and redefining the concert T-shirt project. This time, instead of looking to the warmth and comfort of a quilt, they turned to another passion — fashion.
Taking a page from their own book, they wanted to create something that felt comfortable to them. They took two disparate loves — one rooted in simple preppy style, with clean lines and classic silhouettes, and the other in the nitty gritty worlds of punk rock and pop — and blended them together to create something entirely new. Pulling from the staples of vintage Brooks Brothers and Charvet collections, they applied the graphic elements with bold stitching reminiscent of punk jackets of the ‘70s and ‘80s, but with a much more sophisticated air.
But the remixing isn’t just the pairing of prep and punk. The pieces are not canon. They take liberties with the realities of concert tours, combining one band’s dates with another band’s logos, mixing them all up until the reality is lost and imagination is the only truth.
Shirts from Peggy Mercury’s first fashion line, “Imaginary Concerts,” hang on display.Provided
Adding to the mix is an element of perpetual creativity. Art can be messy, both figuratively and literally, and many of Fricke and Boehmer’s artist friends carry evidence of their work on them at all times. As a nod to these tireless creatives, the duo added haphazard splashes of bright color, giving the line an even more distinctive feel.
For them, “Imaginary Concerts” passes the “Peggy Test.” The mythical Peggy Mercury is a fictional figurehead for the company, a character who thrives on creativity and change. The name, much like the clothing line, is a mixture of interests: Mercury is a planet, a deity and an elusive, transformative element, while Peggy is the wonderfully stylish and boundary-pushing Peggy Guggenheim.
Everything Fricke and Boehmer put in their store has to pass this test: Would Peggy Mercury approve? For their first collection, the answer is a resounding yes.
Peggy Mercury is at 9 Maple St., Unit 2, Kent.
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