HomeMy WebLinkAbout12-01-25 Public Comment - J. Burgo - Pass Tenant Right to CounselFrom:Jacob Burgo
To:Bozeman Public Comment
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Pass Tenant Right to Counsel
Date:Sunday, November 30, 2025 10:10:02 PM
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My name is Jacob Burgo. I live in the Bozeman Creek neighborhood, I work at Montana State
University, I volunteer at Museum of the Rockies, and I am a leader in Bozeman TenantsUnited.
Two Thanksgivings ago, I told my friends I was grateful for the stability in my life. The very
next day, my landlord told me she was putting my house up for sale. After months ofuncertainty, she sold it to someone whose property manager threatened us with eviction over a
"missed" payment (which had gone directly to the landlord, not through the property manager)and harassed me over a "missing" payment (which I had made early). I was indignant, and
chose to move out rather than endure a year of such treatment. Even as time ran short and mysearch for a new place became ever more stressful, I didn't dare stay even a single day after
my lease expired, because I knew my landlord could afford a lawyer and I could not.
Tenant Right to Counsel benefits more than just tenants actively in eviction court. It providesrelief and stability to every tenant facing the THREAT of eviction. I am excited for myself and
for the thousands of other tenants who keep Bozeman running to have the right torepresentation when facing landlords who are breaking Montana's laws. Pass a strong Right to
Counsel ordinance, and Bozeman can take the lead and set the example in Montana.