User blog comment:Zelron/Helgen Hometown (Dragons bring down my property values!)/@comment-1992639-20121128100724/@comment-3492791-20121128205812

All good ideas to be sure, but just not for this game. We aren't trying to implement a new genre into the game, this is pretty much just a gimmick.

The game is still about adventuring and murder, so running your city shouldn't be an actual job that prevents you from actually playing the main part of the game. That's the reason to have a steward, to run the city in your absence to allow you to continue your adventuring. A highly intricate system may be fun, but it would take away from the rest of the game. More simple (but not nessesarily "dumbed down") features allow you to have your city, and be invested in it, but without be bound to it.

I have to say, I hadn't really considered the Khajiit caravans at all. It might be interesting to be the first city to let them in, then have all your citizens throw a riot about it. XD

PS. You're not Jarl. Helgen "is still a part of Falkreath Hold and is basically owned by Siddgeir or Dengeir". You're just running the city, but Siddgeir or Dengeir are the Jarl. It's a feudal system really. Think of Rorikstead. It was founded by Rorik, but Balgruuf or Vignar are still Jarl of Whiterun. If you were to claim independence, you might be able to call yourself Jarl, but you'd need more than one city to call it a hold.