They should at least make it where you're not required to have them grab for your attention to unlock a PWP. But yeah, a lot of us do what goes against the purpose of the game. I'm one of these players that plays by time traveling.
One thing that's more likely to happen in the next game is where you can use your mayoral duties to control zoning. That may not appear, but it's a common complaint by many about ACNL, so that's more of a possibility.