The head of Huwdone House's Federation Office, and thus one of the most powerful men in the country. Reggino got the job in 1328 and has earned considerable praise for having survived a full six years; Federation Office tends to be the main battleground for Huwdone's internal conflicts and some heads have found themselves kicked out after a matter of weeks. Reggino, though, has made a lifetime out of survival. Born in 1282 in Greene-by-the-Sea to a middle-class home, his entire family was killed by a house fire except himself and one brother when he was 11. A wealthy uncle in Kratz adopted the Reggino boys and paid for their education, which took place in the Cities due to the threat from Labland in Kratz at the time. After the Labbish were driven back, the brothers were given work managing their uncle's dairy farms. Sponsored by his uncle, Alib Reggino became first a praetor, then an Emissary for Viallan, in south-east Kratz, first elected in 1216. Though very popular at first, and easily re-elected in the 1318 votes, Reggino became increasingly obsessed with making a name for himself in Huwdone House and spent less and less time away from his ward. He wasn't helped by Viallan's weaving industry collapsing, plunging the area into hardship; the causes of this were out of Reggino's control but he did nothing to alleviate it. In 1324 a deselection vote was organised. Reggino returned to Viallan quick enough when this happened and embarked on a rapid tour of the ward; he just avoided deselection, allegedly by about three votes. Reggino later claimed that only the force of his oration saved him, though the lack of any other real candidates was also a factor. The stress brought on a serious illness and Reggino was forced to retire from politics for nearly six months. Prior to the deselection scare he had been successfully working himself up Huwdone House's ladder, shuttling from one department to another, including a spell at the Mayering Rooms, each time landing a slightly more senior post. His illness caused him to have to start pretty much from scratch, but he devoted the same effort to it as before. He was immensely helped by having Holan Brightson as an ally, and by the high number of openings caused by incumbents either being fired by the Brightson-Fortraine axis or resigning in disgust. In 1327 he won his first stewardship, appointed head of Fundings Office. It was a job he carried out without any major disasters, which is the only real indicator of success in Fundings Office. In 1328 he again spent several months devoting himself to all things Viallan, and remarkably managed to secure re-election, something which seemed an impossibility at one time. The then head of Federation Office was treated less kindly by the voters and forced to leave Huwdone House; Reggino secured the job in the face of considerable competition.
Abel Reggino has been described as the politician's politician, which might not have been a compliment. He might not be quite as fine an orator as he boasts but is still immensely gifted; he is genuinely intelligent, vaguely patriotic and rather cynical. He is hungry for power but not obsessive about it, and is extremely malleable, not too proud to fawn when the occasion calls for it, possesses no strong principles and favours middle of the road, conciliatory politics. In person Reggino is also extremely charming and has recently recreated himself as a jaded wit and father figure for aspiring politicians. He understands perfectly the need for allies and has used his position at Federation Office to build a strong power base. At the same time, he isn't allied so strongly with any one faction that it limits his influence with others. Reggino is seen as Brightson' creation first and foremost, but also has the reputation of being one of the few protégés who can act independently of Brightson and would survive the old lord's downfall. Reggino and Chela Tatel have never been particularly close but have a decent working relationship. He has to date accepted her various reforms without argument and has carried them out with reasonable competence. Involvement with some of her pet projects like the Annexed Lands issue has also increased his stock. The East Zabrial troubles, though, are to put considerable pressure on his department.
In person Reggino is short, chubby, bearded and starting to bald, with an infectious chuckle and a habit of dressing like as much like a rustic as he can get away with. He is a regular heavy drinker and occasional womaniser. His first wife divorced him for both reasons in 1331, upon which Reggino caused a minor scandal by marrying a sculptress twenty years his junior. He had four children by his first wife, the only one of note thus far being a daughter Yrvon who married one of Margat Weanson's sons, a wedding which smacked of dynastic matchmaking.