We've spent forever, it seems, waiting for someone to stand up, say "enough is enough" and that they are going to do something about it.

As the black community in Milwaukee has fallen further and further away from the American dream, we have heard lots of talk and seen little action in efforts to remake the landscape and solve some of these persistent problems.

From education to unemployment to equal housing to meal programs to incarceration rates to crime in the streets to a sense of dignity, the talk has been abundant while the solutions have been minuscule and almost totally ineffective.

The list of things needed to create some kind of meaningful reform is a long one, but high on that list – perhaps at the very top – is leadership from someone who actually has some power and influence to get stuff done.

Welcome into the breach a 49-year-old white guy who is so rich he could probably buy most of the homes in at least a couple of beleaguered aldermanic districts.

Chris Abele, the newly reelected Milwaukee County Executive, has made solving racial disparities "the highest priority" issue for his administration. He talked about it during his inauguration, and his reputation as a pragmatist who is viciously opposed to failure actually provides some hope.

During his inauguration, Chief Judge Maxine White called Abele a "warrior" for his promise to address "a deep divide in Milwaukee County"

At his inauguration, Abele said he wants the county to take the lead in easing the disparities in health care and housing, as well as changing the statistics in crime, incarceration and unemployment.

Elected officials have "a moral obligation to respond to crisis," he said.

"Every equality movement succeeds because it doesn't limit who can be part of it," he said this week in a phone conversation. "It's embarrassing that these conditions have dragged on for so long."

He said the county will concentrate on the 53206 ZIP code in Milwaukee. There are almost 30,000 people who live in that area, bounded by Capitol Drive on the north, North Avenue on the south, 27th Street on the west and the expressway on the east.

There are thousands of numbers about this ZIP code, but one that certainly stands out is the Adjusted Gross Income reported on tax returns. The average for the State of Wisconsin is $57,939. The average in this ZIP code is $20,501.

There is clearly a lot of work to do.

"There are people who say that Downtown is the heart of the city," Abele said. "I make the argument that 53206 is the heart of the city."

Last year, Abele got the County Board to approve an Office on African-American Affairs. This year, he is asking the board for $300,000 to fund it.

Obviously the office is a good idea. But we have had a lot of offices and programs and plans and initiatives. What we haven’t had is a leader who takes a global look at the problems in black community and promises to attack all of them.

"I am going to cash in every chip I have to get people to buy into this process," he said. "This is not a black problem or a city problem. This is an everybody problem."

What Abele is asking is that we, as a community, realize we can do more than walk and chew gum at the same time. For too long, we have bought into the concept of doing just one thing.

Let’s stop the killing. Let’s improve health care. Let’s get the homeless off the streets. Let’s cut unemployment. Let’s get improve education. Let’s do this, or that or the other thing.

Nobody in this town has ever said, "Let’s fight for all of it."

What Abele is saying, more by actions than by words, is that he wants county government to lead the process of restoring an entire community to health.

He’s sophisticated enough to know that he can’t do it by himself and the county can’t do all of it. But Ald. Ashanti Hamilton, the new president of the Common Council, has pledged that the city will work with Abele on this drive.

"Ashanti and I have been talking about this, and he's a great leader," Abele said. "He wants to make sure that the city and the county coordinate on this. He's very helpful."

I don’t think Abele is a savior. But he’s a smart guy who listens to good ideas. He is the kind of guy who can get other people involved, deeply involved, in something he wants to get done. He is tenacious when he’s after something – that sometimes ruffles some feathers – but this job isn’t going to get done without some ruffling.