BURNETT COUNTY — Chief Deputy Clerk Danielle Kolecki has announced an independent campaign for Burnett County Clerk of Circuit Court following the retirement announcement of current Clerk Jackie Baasch.
CAMPAIGN ANNOUNCEMENT
I am pleased to announce that I will be campaigning to become the next Burnett County Clerk of Circuit Court.
I would like you all to know a little about myself. I have worked in customer service and leadership roles for my entire adult life. I joined the Army National Guard at 17 and worked as both a generator mechanic and instructor to new recruits. During that time, I was also employed as a slot service supervisor at Grand Casino Hinckley.
When the first of my three sons was born, I needed a change of pace. So, in 2008, I bought a house in Webster and spent the next decade as a server and front-of-the-house manager at Jo Mama’s café. I loved waiting tables, especially bantering with the customers, exchanging news and stories with the locals, and being the one everyone was excited to see (because I had the coffee pot). It was at the café where I first got to know and love the kind and hard-working people of this community.
Eventually, waiting tables was no longer practical for our growing family, so I went to college and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting. Shortly after my college graduation in 2019, I was hired as the Criminal Court Clerk, then promoted to Chief Deputy Clerk of Circuit Court just a few months later. I have been serving Burnett County in that role ever since.
As the Chief Deputy, I have been trained in all areas of the court and back up the current Clerk of Court when she is unavailable. I didn’t initially plan to make my career in court services, but being a court clerk turned out to be the perfect blend of customer service and clerical work for me. There is always something new to learn, I still get to interact with the public, and it enables my husband and me to remain and raise our family in this community. Nearly 7 years in, I still learn something new every day.
Working in court services is a uniquely challenging position, one that can only really be learned on the job. I feel that there is no better asset to the court system than an experienced staff.
I am campaigning for this position because I see it as an opportunity to make a positive impact on people as they navigate the court system. Nearly everyone who comes to court is facing a life-altering challenge. Whether it is a divorce, foreclosure, criminal charges, lawsuit, etc., very few people have a happy reason to come to court. I believe that facing these challenges can be made immeasurably less stressful by providing competent, compassionate, and experienced service.
It is with that service-oriented mindset that I have decided to run independently. I believe everyone deserves to receive the same access to services, without regard to politics.
Last Update: May 07, 2026 10:36 am CDT
