Yaaaaay, now I don't have to save, quit, and switch to my mayor to water flowers ^~^ It didn't take as long as I thought it would, either, which is nice.
To get the golden watering can on your side characters, do you just have to talk to Isabelle after 15 days of a perfect town and she'll give it to you just like with your mayor?
You can actually create a new character and ask Isabelle on the second day (she won't let you ask about the town status on the same day you create the character for some reason) and if your town has been perfect for 15 days before that, she'll give you a golden watering can for that new character even though the character has only existed for 2 days. So you can get a golden watering can every day if you don't have 4 characters since you can delete and create a character every day and get a golden watering can from Isabelle.
Last year one side player got erased because I picked the wrong face.
She now has a bonus golden water can and an extra golden axe.
Sent it to my spare town that just grows perfect fruit and weeds. Use it there for golden roses.