Board Thread:Off Topic/@comment-6069202-20130702042049/@comment-11425537-20130703043132

You have to do five jobs in one city to have city influence.

So, five jobs for Markarth.

Five jobs for Whiterun.

Five jobs for Windhelm.

And Five for Solitude.

In total you must complete 20 jobs minumum to have influence in all cities. However the jobs are random in location. It's suggested to save before talking to Delvy or Vex and reload until you have the city you desire. Obviously Failed or Forfeited jobs don't count.

Also, make sure that you are talking to Delvin to get the city influence quests, because Vex doesn't give them, only Delvin does.

I'm pretty damn sure that you don't have to wait until you've started "Under new management", but if you haven't, it's worth a try.