HomeMy WebLinkAbout12-01-25 Public Comment - M. Scott - bozeman right to counselFrom:Marion Scott
To:Bozeman Public Comment; xanderismello@gmail.com
Subject:[EXTERNAL]bozeman right to counsel
Date:Monday, December 1, 2025 8:16:38 AM
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My name is Marion Scott. I have lived in Montana nearly all my life and have
been a resident of Bozeman for 18 years. I am a part of Bozeman Tenants
United. I am a single mom of 5 children with multiple disabilities and have had to
work 3 jobs to support my children. For 3 years, we endured unsanitary living
conditions, with over 2 dozen mice who had infested our home and it took 6
months for the landlord to come and fix the hole in our kitchen where they were
entering.
Our window was broken in the middle of winter and I was told that no window
repair could be done until summer and to put a curtain over it. My children and I
lived in harsh conditions with this, and other issues that were neglected and
unattended. Upon our eviction, the landlord who had not performed 1 inspection
in 3.5 years of us living there, sued me for damages that I had been reporting to
them and without legal counsel, she won the suit. I support the Bozeman City
Commission passing a Tenant Right to Counsel because the way the court
system is operating right now is unfair and dehumanizing to tenants.
I would feel much safer as a renter knowing this program exists and that if I end
up renting from a predatory landlord, that I would have protections.
Tenant Right to Counsel evens the playing field between landlords and tenants
and results in tenants keeping our homes and evictions off our records. When
tenants have safety and stability in our homes, our whole community benefits.
Marion Scott