The Newton neighborhood labeled as Republican and anti-immigrant by a city councilor seeking state office is calling for action on her “disparaging” comments.

Over 70 Nonantum residents have submitted a petition to the City Council seeking an investigation into whether Councilor Alison Leary violated the code of conduct with remarks she made in a July debate and in the past.

Council President John Oliver responded to the request last Friday, just after receiving the petition, saying he’d begin investigating it “immediately.”

“As an immigrant from Guatemala, and now a resident of Nonantum, I am deeply hurt by the mean, callous, and divisive statement,” resident Glenda Morales wrote in an email to the council.

The resident added that she and her neighbors are turning to the Council to “help heal the deep wounds” from Leary’s words.

“All of the people of Nonantum deserve respect,” Morales wrote. “All of the residents of Newton deserve to hear from you, our elected representatives.”

This comes weeks after Leary apologized for the “mistake” she made at a debate the Charles River Regional Chamber held for the 10th Middlesex District on July 21.

Facing state Rep. John Lawn for the Newton-Watertown-Waltham seat, Leary pitched herself as the more community-focused candidate over the incumbent who has represented the district since 2011.

Leary, who represents Nonantum on the Council, pivoted to her stance on the neighborhood’s political makeup after a rebuke from Lawn.

“And the people you are serving in Nonantum, I know all those people… They don’t want housing; they don’t want immigrants. Many of them are Republican,” Leary said. She added, “They are not my voters; some of them are not. The silent ones are.”

Lawn demanded that Leary apologize to the Nonantum people, arguing her characterization made her unfit for state office. But the councilor refused until after the Herald first reported on the comments, a story that then appeared on regional TV news outlets.

Lawn and Leary will face off in a Sept. 1 primary.

Nonantum residents who signed onto the petition are requesting that the Council determine whether Leary’s characterization violated the code of conduct. Specifically, the group is asking councilors to review a section mandating them avoid speech that is “belligerent, disrespectful, threatening, abusive, or disparaging.”

“If the Council concludes that a violation occurred,” the petition states, “take whatever action is authorized and appropriate under the Code of Conduct.”

Resident Danielle Marzilli sent an email to the Council on Monday, highlighting how she’s an Asian American who, as a “little girl, … was adopted by a wonderful Italian family from Nonantum.”

Marzilli described the neighborhood as a “village” that treated her “as one of its own.”

“That is why Councilor Leary’s recent characterization of Nonantum as anti-immigrant is not merely offensive to me,” she wrote. “It is deeply personal. It is a repudiation of the community that embraced me and helped make me who I am.”

Responding to a Herald request for comment on Tuesday, Leary attached a document she said the City Clerk sent the Council on Monday night. The file was a copy of the neighborhood’s petition.

“This was the right response…,” Leary stated in an email. “I can’t give you a more detailed comment right now.”