Mayor Dennis Tyler grew up on the south-side of Muncie, Indiana, he is a graduate of Muncie Central High School and he served as a Line Captain for the Muncie City Fire Department before retiring after 42 years of service.

Tyler, a lifelong Democrat, rose through the ranks of the Delaware County, IN Democratic Party becoming Party Chairman.

On January 4th, 2006, Tyler was sworn into office as a State Legislator, where he served District 34 for six years. On January 1st, 2012 he was sworn in as the 33rd Mayor of the City of Muncie. Mayor Tyler ran for re-election, unopposed, in 2015 and upon starting his 2nd term was almost immediately embroiled in controversy and scandal as his administration & other city governmental offices, along with the Democrat Party and local business owners, were targeted in a federal investigation (into corruption) led by the FBI and a seperate federal investigation led by the FBI & the Department of Justice inquiring about 'use of force' in police brutality cases dealing with arrests made by the Muncie City Police Department.

On Monday, November 18th, 2019 Mayor Dennis Tyler was arrested by the FBI and was indicted on a single 'Corruption-Related Charge' of accepting a $5,000 illegal cash payment to steer a lucrative excavation job to a local contractor. *Mayor Tyler is awaiting trial and is presumed innocent until proven guilty!

Mayor Tyler's 2nd Term as Mayor came to an end on December 31st, 2019... it is safe to say that with his current legal issues his life long public service & political career has came to an end! There have been many ups and downs throughout his time in public service, including elected office, but one thing is sure... he knew how to be a politician... for all the good AND BAD that means! He knew how to play the game, well! It'll definitely be interesting to see how local history reflects on his long career... once the smoke clears!