Duvall Wants to Lead Hardin County. His Radcliff Record Deserves Scrutiny.

A Former Radcliff Councilman Speaks Out

OPINION | By T.W. Shortt
Former Radcliff Councilman, Co-founder of the Radcliff Small Business Alliance, and Local Business Owner

My professional career has been centered in Radcliff. My main office has always been here, and our commercial investments have been concentrated in the very areas where I have repeatedly called for redevelopment and a stronger economic future.

I campaigned on those concerns, raised them while serving on the council, and have continued discussing them publicly. I believe Radcliff has substantial potential, and I have invested my time and money in that belief.

That commitment helps explain my support for Keith Taul for reelection as Hardin County judge/executive.

I know both Keith Taul and J.J. Duvall. I have met with them many times, exchanged views with each, and observed their public service. I served on the Radcliff City Council alongside Mayor Duvall.

I like both men. But voters must consider what each has accomplished with the responsibilities entrusted to him.

My concern about Duvall’s planning record has a specific history.

On June 5, 2015, The News-Enterprise published Judah Taylor’s article, “Shortt Pushes for Economic Plan.” It described my efforts as a councilman to bring a proposed economic development plan before the council and the public.

Duvall was then the city’s economic development, planning and building director. Following a community listening session, he outlined a process involving a council briefing, focus groups, and a steering committee.

By June, according to the newspaper account cited in my October 5 article, the briefing had not occurred and the committees had not been formed.

Duvall explained that funding was unavailable for professional preparation of the plan. He estimated a cost of $100,000 to $120,000 and said he was seeking grant funding.

That explanation identified an obstacle. It also created a responsibility to explain what happened next.

Was the grant obtained? Were the committees established? Was the plan completed and adopted? What actions followed, and what results can residents examine?

More than a decade later, I am still asking those questions. I have yet to see the completed, publicly accountable strategy that would establish long-range economic planning as a demonstrated strength of Duvall’s leadership.

The condition of our older commercial corridors makes those questions consequential. I have repeatedly advocated defined redevelopment priorities, standards appropriate to each corridor, assigned responsibility, deadlines, and public progress reports.

No mayor controls every vacancy, business closing, or private investment decision. Economic changes and Fort Knox decisions have also affected Radcliff. But city leadership can organize a response and show residents how that response is progressing.

Duvall deserves the opportunity to identify the plans he delivered and the results achieved. Voters deserve those answers before entrusting him with county leadership.

Taul must face the same scrutiny. His administration has published the Hardin County 2030 Roadmap, giving residents written objectives against which to judge performance. Publication alone proves no success; implementation and results remain the test.

For me, that public framework, combined with my assessment of both men’s management qualifications, favors Taul.

My commitment to Radcliff demands that I take this decision seriously. Based on the record I have observed, Keith Taul is my choice for Hardin County judge/executive.

Sources and Background

• Judah Taylor, “Shortt Pushes for Economic Plan,” The News-Enterprise, June 5, 2015, as discussed in my October 5 article below.

• What Happened to Radcliff’s Economic Development Plan Promised in 2015? — TW Shortt Reports, October 5, 2026.

• Radcliff’s Commercial Decline: Are We Loyal to Dysfunction? — TW Shortt Reports, August 28, 2026.

• J.J. Duvall Wants to Bring His Radcliff Record to Hardin County—“Please Don’t!” — TW Shortt Reports, October 14, 2026.